So, how was your summer? Now that autumn is upon us the glorious sunshine of June may seem like an age back, but its impact has been considerable: this summer 52% of our electricity came from low carbon sources. Over half. This is even more impressive considering that the equivalent figure four years ago was 35%. Just over a third.

This has been achieved at a national scale without compromising economic growth, showing that pursuit of an environmental agenda need not hinder the economy.

So if we’re seeing this at a national level, why do we see reluctance to enhance the sustainability of our built environment at a local level? Especially as housebuyers want sustainable homes. More than two-thirds of housebuyers reported that if they were buying or renting a property in the future, it would be very important or quite important for the property to have sustainable features. Commercial tenants also want it - greener buildings are able to more easily attract tenants and command higher rents and sale prices.

Yet government appetite for improved residential energy standards fell by the wayside in 2015 due to concerns regarding the cost of low carbon measures, and some developers still cite the cost of low carbon technologies as being the main hindrance to wider adoption.

Sustainable design does not need to be expensive. Simple solutions, such as natural ventilation, airtight construction and attention to detail with regard to insulation levels and thermal bridging, known as a ‘fabric first’ approach, contribute hugely to energy reduction. When environmental design is considered from the project outset and ingrained in the design process, build costs can be comparable to traditional solutions with more complex building servicing strategies. Furthermore, simpler buildings are more adaptable and therefore have a greater longevity than their more complex brethren, fulfilling the aims of the long life, loose fit, low energy approach, developed by Alex Gordon in 1972.

In addition, the cost of renewable technologies is continuing to fall. Last week saw the unveiling of the UK’s first subsidy free solar farm, complete with large amounts of battery storage to help balance supply and demand.

In order for a widespread local scale decoupling of growth and sustainability it needs to become transparently economically beneficial for developers to improve sustainability credentials, through increased prices, easier planning approval or reduced build costs, all of which will lead to increased returns. This requires attention to detail from all involved in the planning and design process, but it’s only a matter of time before sustainable design becomes the norm.