The United Kingdom is currently breaking new international standards, announcing that, since 2016, all the houses built on its territory will have to be carbon neutral. That is to say, the new energy consumption for each of these houses will be zero. All energy necessities will be covered by renewable power sources, such as biomass boilers, wind and solar converters on roofs, better insulation in the walls and windows and so on.

 

The change is set to affect construction firms and real estate agencies the hardest, seeing how the new regulations will most probably be the strictest in the world, for building environment-friendly homes. The British executive decided to give this proposal a go because the Department of Communities recently announced that more than 153 million tonnes were emitted into the atmosphere by regular homes yearly, which makes this sector account for approximately 27 percent of the country's total carbon emissions.

 

Therefore, London officials say that change is a must, and that it has to happen soon. In terms of companies adapting to the new laws, 2016 is very near. And although zero energy homes are still news in the UK, with each one built being in the spotlight on both national TV and newspapers, constructors say that the materials they will most likely use are currently available. However, real estate agents say that they will have to learn new terms to describe the features of the modern homes, as energy-saving materials are employed throughout their construction.

 

It's estimated that a "renewable" house will have a price tag far larger than a regular home, by about £36,000, or $59,000. This extra money will provide buyers with triple insulation on their windows and roofs, and with eco-friendly construction materials. The difference is also accounted for by the expertise set in place to build the zero energy homes, as well as by small wind farms or solar converters set on their roofs.

 

The question most people ask, however, is whether these homes will be so expensive, that only rich people will be able to afford them. Undoubtedly, this will be the case at first, but after these houses become old news, their price tags will certainly drop to affordable levels, at least for the middle class.