.................. Current regulations hold that new homes should be "zero-carbon" by 2016, and all other new build should reach that target by 2020.
However, the Engineering a Low Carbon Built Environment report asserts that the principles that could be applied to drastically reduce energy consumption are simply not being used.
It said that many building principles, such as those that retain heat in a building or make good use of natural light, were known to the Romans but are still not being implemented in modern buildings as much as they could be.
The field of "building engineering physics", which draws on old ideas and new, can address the issue. But the report warns that both the industry and academia are so far failing to produce engineers who can apply the concepts..................
...........He held up the example of the Sainsbury's in London's Greenwich as an example of the savings that such building approaches can provide.
While it almost certainly cost significantly more to build than a less eco-friendly building, he estimated that the building saved more than £400,000 a year in energy costs.
"If Sainsbury's had built everyone of their new stores in the last 10 years to this model, then Lord John would be a much happier man in a recession like this," he said. . ..............
.... and more at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8469070.stm
