Goverment facing green construction regulations rap
Legal proceedings have begun against the UK government after the European Commission found it failed to deliver a number of environmental regulations.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive came into force in 2010, and required all EU states to enhance their building regulations and to introduce energy certification schemes for buildings. The directive was part of a move towards new and retrofitted nearly-zero energy buildings by 2020.
The European Directive also states that an up-to-date Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) should be made available whenever a residential property is put up for sale or rent, while Display Energy Certificates (DECs), which detail a building’s energy consumption, should be on display in public buildings.
The UK government has been criticised for failing to communicate how it will incorporate these measures into UK law. It was required to have published legislation setting out how it would meet these requirements by July this year, with the measures coming in to play by January 2013.
The European Commission has written to the government informing them of the legal proceedings, and the UK has until the 21 November to reply to the commission’s letter.