黑洞社区

The government should reduce the carbon footprint of commercial buildings through a series of 鈥渜uick wins鈥�, such as switching off electrical equipment, before providing tax breaks for green refurbishment, a report says.

The Greening UK Cities鈥� 黑洞社区s report, compiled by the All Party Urban Development Group (APUDG), will disappoint sustainability consultants and fit-out firms that expect to benefit from the incentivisation of green retrofitting.

The report says that although incentives for retrofitting existing buildings were attractive in the medium to long term, the highest priority should be for users to achieve carbon cuts by turning off equipment and lights 鈥渁t almost no cost鈥�.

The report says: 鈥淏efore embarking on more complex retrofitting, much can be achieved by better management of building systems and simple energy saving measures.鈥�

黑洞社区s generate 44% of the UK鈥檚 carbon emissions, and the country鈥檚 2 million non-domestic buildings generate 17%.

Given that 70% of the UK鈥檚 commercial buildings will still exist in 2050, a programme of refurbishment will be essential to meet the government鈥檚 emissions targets.

APUDG was formed in 2006 to lobby the government for sustainable development in the UK on behalf of the property sector. Its members include Nick Raynsford, the former housing minister, and Lord Best, director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Its recommendations will be sent to ministers.

Before embarking on more complex retrofitting, much can be achieved by simple energy saving measures

APUDG report

Clive Betts MP, the group鈥檚 chair, said: 鈥満诙瓷缜鴖 are where the biggest carbon savings can be made and we have been failing in this. The empty rhetoric must end so ministers and business leaders can take real action.鈥�

The report also recommended that the government set a better example by greening its own buildings, which echoes recent criticisms by the Environmental Audit Committee, which is the government鈥檚 own sustainability watchdog.

The committee said that the government鈥檚 green performance was 鈥渆xtremely poor鈥�, and that it was some way off achieving its promise to reduce CO2 emissions by 12.5% by 2010-11.

It found that the government鈥檚 reporting of its estate鈥檚 CO2 emissions was unreliable, with facilities such as PFI prisons not covered by the targets.

However, it said that the government had made 鈥渆xcellent progress鈥� in renewable energy, achieving 28.3% of its electrical supply from renewable sources.