The industry has taken a further step towards making zero carbon homes a reality by 2016 with the launch of the zero carbon hub – a public-private partnership body, which will work with government and industry to drive forward the delivery programme. The partnership was launched on June 26 and will be headed by chairman Paul King, the chief executive of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), along with chief executive Neil Jefferson, NHBC’s general manager. Other board members will include representatives from Communities and Local Government (CLG), NHBC, HBF and the Local Government Association (LGA). Jefferson commented: “There are many organisations already active in the delivery of zero carbon homes but there is significant risk of overlap in some areas and important gaps in others. It is vital that we develop an overall programme and timeline to co-ordinate efforts across all sectors.” The hub is charged with co-ordinating research and development and proceeding with the development of a “practical and workable definition of zero carbon” on which the industry is currently consulting. <br><br>The programme will involve a series of “focused work groups” and will also begin identifying exemplar buildings which demonstrate best practice. It is aimed at “providing the …