“The threat from climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge facing our world” (Tony Blair, March 2007, Draft Climate Change Bill) and Manchester is committed to playing its part in reducing carbon emissions and taking the lead in creating a low carbon society. As well as reducing the impacts that we as a community have on the global environment, Manchester must also consider how our society and economy needs to adapt in order to reflect inevitable impacts such as changing weather patterns and higher fuel prices.
Over the next few months Manchester City Council, in partnership with other public sector agencies, local businesses, Manchester’s universities and local environmental and community groups, will be developing a plan for reducing the impact that Manchester has on climate change. To reduce energy demand and the harmful impact of using energy from non-renewables, in line with UDP Part 1 Policy E1.5, developers should aim for at least 20% of final site energy demand to be met by on-site renewable energy technologies. Renewable energy targets can be achieved more readily by undertaking the measures suggested above to reduce the total energy demand of the building. It is possible to produce developments that use 50% and even 100% energy from renewable sources.