Delivering a fabric-first energy strategy to significantly exceed South Gloucestershire’s 20% carbon reduction requirement for a new-build development.
Project Overview
- Client: Cotswold Homes
- Sector: Private Residential / New Build
- Location: Engine Common, Yate, South Gloucestershire
- Services Provided: Sustainability & Energy Statement, SAP Calculations
- Scale: 19–20 dwellings (greenfield site)
- Target: South Gloucestershire Policy PSP6 (minimum 20% CO₂ reduction via renewable/low-carbon energy)
The Challenge
South Gloucestershire Council has some of the strictest planning policies in the region, and Engine Common was no exception. As a major greenfield development, the site was required under Policy PSP6 to cut residual CO₂ emissions by at least 20% through renewable and low-carbon energy generation, on top of demonstrating full compliance with the wider local plan. Partway through the process, the scheme’s dwelling count changed – meaning the energy strategy had to remain robust without losing rigour. Cotswold Homes needed a strategy strong enough to satisfy the council’s climate officers, but still practical and cost-effective to build.
The Solution
Sustainability & Energy Statement via the Energy Hierarchy
We approached the strategy through the energy hierarchy – reducing energy demand before turning to generation. On the fabric side, we specified high-performance insulation well ahead of Part L minimums (external walls achieving 0.18 W/m²K, ground floor 0.12 W/m²K, roof 0.11 W/m²K), alongside a target air permeability below 5 m³/hr/m² – tighter than the Building Regulations requirement of 8. From the outset, we modelled a fully electric strategy – air source heat pumps for heating and hot water, paired with a solar PV array sized and positioned across the development – as the clearest route to meeting the council’s target, rather than relying on the higher-carbon gas heating still used as the regulatory baseline for compliance comparisons.
The Outcome
The combined strategy didn’t just meet the 20% policy target – it comfortably exceeded it, backed by a fully modelled Sustainability & Energy Statement that gave South Gloucestershire’s climate officers clear, evidenced compliance. The resulting statement let Cotswold Homes’ planning application proceed, with the fabric-first approach and full electrification giving the development genuine headroom above the policy minimum rather than a marginal pass.
Client Testimonial
Building Energy Experts produced a Sustainability & Energy Statement to support our planning application for 20 homes in Engine Common. They worked with our technical team to identify measures that would help energy savings across the development reduce residual carbon emissions. Despite the technical nature of the topic, the report was clear and concise and well received by the Council’s climate officers. I would happily recommend the team to other developers.
— Ashley Grant, Planning Manager, Cotswold Homes
