More than 50 MPs have joined an all party parliamentary group (APPG) formed to promote low-carbon housing
The APPG on sustainable housing was set up by two former housing ministers, Labour鈥檚 Nick Raynsford and the Tories鈥� David Curry, with the Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Lembit Opik. Standards body NHBC is providing the secretariat.
Raynsford said the founders wanted to let people get the 鈥渂est bang for their buck鈥� when it came to refurbishing their homes: 鈥淲e want to influence MPs and lords who play a critical role in shaping public opinion,鈥� he said.
Lewis Sidnick, NHBC public affairs manager, said the group was also set up in response to confusion about the Code for Sustainable Homes. 鈥淭here was no dedicated platform for one of the most ambitious housing policies ever,鈥� said Sidnick. 鈥淢Ps are concerned about the implications for constituents.鈥�
The group will take a party of MPs to BRE鈥檚 Innovation Park near Watford to look at properties that meet the higher levels of the code, and to Hammarby Sj枚stad, an eco-suburb of Stockholm. It will also conduct a survey asking people if they know what energy ratings their home would achieve.
鈥淭he starting point will be to shock people to make them aware of how little knowledge there is,鈥� said Raynsford.
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