This thesis is concerned with how sustainable and low carbon living can be enabled in
new housing developments in the UK. The consumption of energy and resources is not
just related to the insulating qualities of the fabric of the building and the heating, lighting,
appliances and ventilation systems that go into the building, but also to the occupancy
patterns and activities of future residents over the long-term. Conventional business
models for new housing development, operating under current government regulations,
policies and targets have failed to develop housing which encourages the adoption of
sustainable lifestyles taking whole life consumption into account. This thesis aims to
identify alternative ways in which UK housing development can contribute to achieving
80% carbon savings in the UK by 2050.
A tool (the Climate Challenge Tool) has been developed allowing whole-life carbon
equivalent emissions and costs of various options for new developments to be calculated.
These cover technical and soft measures; energy used within the home, energy
embodied in the building materials and emissions from transport, food and waste
treatment. Applying the tool to a case study development, it was found that carbon
reductions can be achieved at much lower costs through an approach, which enables
sustainable lifestyles, rather than one that purely focuses on technical measures such as
those covered in the building regulations. Furthermore a wider sustainability analysis
showed additional social and economic benefits from many of the lifestyles measures.
A specific opportunity to incorporate lifestyles measures into new developments was
identified: Eco-self-build housing communities. The feasibility of this opportunity was
assessed through a stakeholder survey and was judged to be viable. It is concluded that
with additional government support or removal of regulatory barriers, eco-self-build
communities has the potential to contribute considerably to an 80% emission reduction
target