For the most efficient use of resources, such as building materials, energy and water over the lifetime of a building the following steps must be taken (listed with highest priorities first):
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Local Plan Policy 20, renewable and low carbon energy, supports development that increases the proportion of energy generated by renewable and low carbon sources and encourages energy provision from local scale generation.
To minimise the carbon generated through construction and development, new development should:
To promote a circular economy and reduce the emissions associated with the end-of-life use stage, building methods and materials that can be disassembled and recycled should be prioritised. The Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment provides additional guidance about whole life carbon assessments.
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Local Plan Policy 20, renewable and low carbon energy, supports development that increases the proportion of energy generated by renewable and low carbon sources and encourages energy provision from local scale generation.
To minimise the carbon generated through construction and development, new development should:
To promote a circular economy and reduce the emissions associated with the end-of-life use stage, building methods and materials that can be disassembled and recycled should be prioritised. The Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment provides additional guidance about whole life carbon assessments.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) should be completed at the design stage to identify improvements to the design with regard to embodied energy and carbon footprint of the proposal.
Building design should follow the LETI (London Energy Transformation Initiative) Climate Emergency Design Guide*, with specific reference to the small-scale residential architype guidance. The following targets should be set – alongside other guidance on heating and hot water and demand response:
*The LETI Guidance has set the national benchmark and is current best practice. There is no local or county guidance for Cumbria.
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1. In order to maximise solar gain without leading to overheating, the proportion of each dwelling elevation that is to be glazed should fit into the following ranges:
1a. North 10-15%
1b. East 10-15%
1c. South 20-25%
1d. West 10-15%
2. Where glazing is expansive to encourage solar gain, the design should incorporate measures to prevent overheating, such as recessing glazing, incorporating natural ventilation, projecting eaves, canopies or similar to provide summer shading. These measures should also reduce the glare and light pollution that such openings may emit.
Designs should strike a balance between reducing glazing on northerly facing elevations to reduce heat loss while ensuring that sufficient daylight reaches the main rooms of the house for the health of the occupiers. Designers can consider the daylight factor and how to allow daylight into rooms, for example through sunpipes, rooflights, glazing that is not conventional windows such as high windows above eye level (clerestories), angling the plaster around window openings to increase daylighting, or the internal layout of spaces.
3. Tree planting and other soft landscaping features should be used to provide shading and wind buffering to avoid excess cooling/heating of building interiors.
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Renewable energy measures that are sensitive to the local area and character should be incorporated into all types of development.
Solar photovoltaics (PV) produce electricity from the light of the sun. Solar PV should be used across the National Park, but care must be taken to select solar PV with the least visual impact.
Solar thermal panels collect heat from the sun to heat hot water. They work best alongside existing water heating systems which can help top up the heating system in winter months when solar energy is less abundant. Solar thermal should be used across the National Park, but care must be taken to select solar thermal with the least visual impact.
To minimise the impact of a solar system on the character of settlements and buildings these factors should be considered:
Traditional roofscape in Ambleside requires careful consideration to integrate panels without harming the character.
Traditional roofscape in Hawkshead, requires careful consideration to integrate panels without harming the character.
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Biomass is mainly the use of logs, wood chips, wood waste or pellets to create electricity and heat. Biomass should be considered as a source of renewable energy generation when designing new developments. Small-scale domestic uses are likely to constitute permitted development, although permission may be required for larger schemes in community or commercial buildings. Biomass fuel from a sustainable local source will be encouraged.
All new build homes should include ground or air source heat pumps. Heat pumps are well suited to new build developments and can also be suitable in traditional buildings.
Ground source heat pumps use pipes that are buried underground to extract heat from the ground.
Air source heat pumps transfer heat from the outside air into a building to provide electric heating to generate hot water and heating. An air source pump unit will need to be fitted to a wall or placed on the ground, with plenty of airflow around it.
Central placement from the top, bottom, right and left hand edges of the roof makes this thermal water PV panel look less like clutter and means the slate covering still dominates.
New homes with symmetrically placed in-roof solar panels.
Roof-mounted panels such as these involve the least disturbance to the fabric of the roof and so are preferred for traditional buildings with slate roof coverings. Image credit: CAfS
The design of all new dwellings must comply with the Nationally Described Space Standards (2015), measurements in square metres.
