Designers create the 'impossible' zero-carbon house

Designers at Cardiff University say they have constructed the sort of house George Osborne once described as impossible.
The chancellor scrapped a requirement for new homes to be zero carbon by 2016 because he said it would prove too expensive.
But Cardiff University say they have built a house that exports more power to the grid than it uses.
And crucially they say the cost fell within the normal budget for social housing.
A government spokesman said house builders needed to be given more time to develop low energy homes.

'Excess energy'

The house took just 16 weeks to construct and cost £1,000 per sq m - that's within the range for social housing of £800 to £1,000 per sq m, the designers said.
In future, they say its owners will make money from selling excess energy.
The property, near Bridgend, has insulated render on the outside and air heating systems that rely on the sun.
The designers say it will need to import energy in the winter, but the imports will be trumped by energy exports during summer months.

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