The British Property Federation (BPF) has backed government plans to scrap the Merton Rule, claiming that it is an inefficient way of cutting carbon emissions.
Pioneered in the London Borough of Merton, the rule requires a building to generate upwards of 10% of its energy from onsite renewable sources but, according to the BPF, this is “far less efficient…than…investing in the actual energy efficiency of buildings”.
The scheme is currently operated on a voluntary basis, with the Department for Communities and Local Government undertaking a review into whether it should make the Merton Rule mandatory or implement a broader planning framework.
The BPF has backed the latter, saying that relaxing the rule would be more beneficial to the building industry as it will “ultimately save significantly more CO2 than the blinkered approach encouraged by the Merton Rule” and switch attention to materials, such as timber, and issues of airtightness and insultation.
“Redirecting the financial investment required to deliver these targets for onsite renewables to the buildings themselves…would increase their energy efficiency,” said BPF chief executive Liz Peace.
“[It will] also allow buildings, both old and new, to benefit from larger scale renewable energy generated much more efficiently.”
The BPF added that generating onsite renewable energy was often impractical in urban locations, with wind and solar levels below those needed to generate 10% of a building’s energy needs.
