The Government's definition of a zero carbon home is contained in the snappily titled The Stamp Duty Land Tax (Zero-Carbon Homes Relief) Regulations 2007.
This is not merely of academic interest.
The first purchaser of a zero-carbon home will pay no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on the purchase if the price is £500,000 or less and will have their SDLT bill reduced by £15,000 if the house costs more than £500,000.
The house must satisfy three tests:
1. The Heat Loss Parameter of the house must be no more than 0.8 Watts per square metre Kelvin (W/m2K)
2. The Dwelling CO2 Emission Rate over the course of a year must be zero
3. The Net CO2 Emissions from the dwelling over the course of a year must be zero.
In laymans terms - you need a very well insulated house which offsets its CO2 emissions with zero-carbon energy generation.
For more information on how to build a zero carbon home contact commercial property lawyer, Steve Petty, on 01926 629005.
Steve Petty, Commercial Property Lawyer
This blog is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor is it intended to be a complete and authoritative statement of the law, and what we say might be out of date by the time you read it. You should always seek legal advice to confirm whether or how any information in this article applies to your particular situation. We offer a free telephone consultation to discuss your particular circumstances.