{"id":151555,"date":"2025-07-02T08:45:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=151555"},"modified":"2025-07-02T09:38:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:38:46","slug":"achieving-net-zero-buildings-practical-pathway-for-construction-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/energy-news\/achieving-net-zero-buildings-practical-pathway-for-construction-industry\/151555\/","title":{"rendered":"Achieving net zero buildings: A practical pathway for the construction industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

The built environment is responsible for more energy-related carbon emissions than the entire transportation sector, making the transition to net zero buildings a critical response to climate change. A new report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Arup sets out how property owners and policymakers can take action now to meet emissions targets<\/h2>\n

The urgency of climate action has never been clearer. As the built environment contributes approximately 37% of global energy-related carbon emissions, our sector bears a significant responsibility for driving meaningful change.<\/p>\n

Despite this, globally the policy position is stark, with no countries having policies in place requiring comprehensively net zero buildings either now or in the future.<\/p>\n

In addition, only 18% of Nationally Defined Contributions (national decarbonisation commitments as part of the COP process) feature specific targets to decarbonise the built environment.<\/p>\n

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Arup\u2019s recently published report, Achieving Net-Zero Buildings \u2013 An Action Plan for Market Transformation<\/a>, provides a comprehensive blueprint for how we can address this challenge and transition to net zero operational buildings at scale.<\/p>\n

Moving from compliance to performance<\/h2>\n

One of the most critical shifts that needs to be made is moving from a code compliance mindset to a performance framework. Traditional building regulations typically focus on design specifications and predicted energy efficiency, not on how buildings actually perform when occupied.<\/p>\n

Evidence from the Better Buildings Partnership in the UK shows virtually no correlation between EPC ratings and actual energy performance, highlighting the limitations of the current approach.<\/p>\n

A performance framework, by contrast, regulates on the basis of actual energy performance in use and so addresses all factors influencing a building\u2019s energy consumption \u2013 from design and construction to commissioning, operation and occupant behaviour.<\/p>\n

This approach enables us to truly measure and improve what matters: real-world carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

A 12-step action plan<\/h3>\n

Our research identifies a comprehensive action plan built around four key objectives:<\/p>\n