Modern building standards are set to leave a legacy of high bills and potential poor health according to a new report from the University of East Anglia.

Delivering a low-energy building, the final major report from Build with CaRe, reveals that energy bills for new homes are likely to be higher than anticipated and that occupant health may suffer from poor indoor air quality. It shows that today's quality standards for construction could leave us unable to meet climate change targets, and makes recommendations for radical changes in construction practice.

“Building as we do today could create a disastrous legacy spanning many decades" says Bruce Tofield of University of East Anglia, writer of the report.

“The good news is that both housing crises can be solved with great benefit both to individuals and to the economy. We need to build new homes – but we also need to do it right.”

On 11th September the European Parliament gave the final green light to the long awaited energy efficiency directive.

The Energy Efficiency Directive is is a big step forward but compromises have been made along the way.

Member states did not agree on a binding target but instead agreed on an indicative target of 20% energy savings and to binding measures. This is expected to result in a reduced 15% total energy savings by 2020, well short of the 20% goal that member states had previously agreed on in principle in 2007. It is now up to the National Governments to be bold and implement properly.

ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/eed/eed_en.htm