Towards a neighbourhood scale for low- or zero-carbon building projects

The progression towards low- or zero-carbon buildings (as evidenced in the defined goals of the UK's Code for Sustainable Homes) introduces a paradigm shift for the energy supply infrastructure. It will no longer be sufficient to understand buildings as the demand side of an energy system - the supply side will also need consideration. Currently, electricity mainly accounts for the positive side of zero-energy building energy balances. In future, energy management strategies could also include local heat trading schemes to capitalize on local energy balancing. The topic of load matching between a building's electrical and thermal needs and its distributed generation is examined. Some of the most promising solutions to manage energy supply intermittency are only available on a larger scale than individual buildings. The intermediate scale of the urban neighbourhood has the potential to address energy supply and demand structures and create high-performance buildings and settlements. The commitment to the introduction of nearly zero-carbon buildings thus introduces a need to evaluate alternative system boundaries for describing the energy balance of buildings and their impact on local energy networks at a suitable scale. The implications for the research agenda are discussed.