The UK government has set a target for every new home to be “zero-carbon” by 2016. Given that it intends the industry to be building 240,000 new homes a year by that date, it is an ambitious target – in fact, it is the most far-reaching initiative to cut emissions from the housing sector anywhere in the world.

Homes account for 27 per cent of UK carbon emissions, according to the Department of Communities and Local Government. Making new residences more environmentally friendly is much easier than tackling the problem in existing buildings, although measures are being taken here as well.