An article in Building today says that offsite renewables will no longer be permitted for zero caron homes.

http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3096695

With regards to the CfSH, this only relates to energy for appliances, all energy for SAP (heating, hot water, pumps, fans etc) has always been required to be produced on site.

The implications are that this will make code level 6 projects virtually impossible on many sites, and prohibitively expensive on most.

I'm not sure how this will pan out, I'm currently working on a code level 6 project, and I can tell you that if we need to provide energy (electricity) for appliances on site then we're in serious trouble, there's only so much electricity you can produce on a small site, we already have lots of PV to offset the carbon from the biomass heating/hot water and MVHR, I simply don't think there will be enough roof area to produce the quantities of electricity required. Wind is simply not an option with planning, leaving biomass CHP as just about all that's left and that is simply unproven at this scale (35 units) and the load profile is also completely wrong.

Is this simply due to concerns that the take up of zero carbon homes for stamp duty exemption will be too high?

It would be difficult to see how it could relate to CfSH. Though article relates to a Communities statement, not Treasury.

Perhaps Communities believe we will no longer be constructing within existing urban areas post 2016.

I've found that Ed Balls (then Economic Secretary to the Treasury) said this at a Finance Bill Committee meeting on 15th May 2007:

"The Department for Communities and Local Government is currently consulting on the definition of zero-carbon homes by 2016, which is part of the reason why our approach must be consultative. Our regulations are running in parallel, and it (is) desirable that those consultations end up with aligned definitions. That is our hope and expectation. "

which suggests that the stamp duty and CfSH zero-carbon definitions will have to be identical at some stage.

It was in one of the original Budget documents released at the time. I'll try to find it.

This is the ref for the Ed Balls comment:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmpublic/finance/070515/am/70515s02.htm

just below the label "Column number: 138"

Excellent
Than you very much Ted

Jon

Just to clarify.

This DOES apply to the Code for Sustainable Homes, it is included in the new version of the CFSH technical manual.

Available from here...
http://www.ibexcellence.org/ (Click Resources on the menu bar and then scroll down to the final link)
The updated definition for a "True Zero Carbon Home" is on page 31.

Chris,
Yes this applies to accredited renewable suppliers such as Good Energy and Ecotricity. These are REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin) certified suppliers and the PREVIOUS verison of the CfSH allowed them to be used to supply electricity for appliances.

http://www.ibexcellence.org/images/pdfs/code_for_sustainable_homes_techguide_Oct2007.pdf