黑洞社区

The new Green Construction Board will consider the future of the display energy certificates (DEC) scheme after it was dealt a blow by the government last month.

The certificates are in use in all public buildings to show how efficiently they use energy.

DECs had widespread industry support and - under May鈥檚 Carbon Plan - were expected to be rolled out to all commercial buildings. However, chancellor George Osborne blocked an amendment to the Energy Bill last month that would have allowed this to take place.

At the Green Construction Board鈥檚 inaugural meeting on Monday it was agreed that measurement of energy usage in construction and in completed buildings would form one of the core topics for the group, including consideration of a possible replacement for DECs.

Dan Labbad, co-chair of the group and chief executive of Lend Lease, told 黑洞社区: 鈥淔rom my perspective measurement is key. If you can鈥檛 measure it, you can鈥檛 manage it, as the old saying goes.

鈥淥ne of the work streams will look at measurements and one of the areas of measurement is buildings in use, but it鈥檚 too early to say what it will look like.鈥�

Business minister and co-chair Mark Prisk added: 鈥淲e are not starting with an individual scheme. We are looking at what is the best way of approaching schemes like this.鈥�

Prisk said the group would take a broad strategic approach to get policy and practice right in the long term, rather than focusing on short-term solutions to immediate problems.

The board will also have working groups focused on skills, information, procurement and infrastructure in the industry.

Labbad said he would make sure any policy changes were commercially viable.