Energy Planning Guidance
The Mayor of London has declared a climate emergency and has set an ambition for London to be net zero-carbon. The London Plan contains a range of climate mitigation policies, including a requirement for major developments to comply with the net zero-carbon target set out in Policy SI 2 by following the energy hierarchy and maximising on-site carbon reductions.
This net zero-carbon target requires sites to achieve a minimum on-site carbon reduction and allows for any carbon shortfall to be paid as a cash-in-lieu contribution into the relevant local authority's carbon offset fund. All major development proposals must be accompanied by a detailed energy assessment to demonstrate how this target will be met.
The Energy Assessment Guidance and Carbon Offset Fund Guidance are available to support planning applicants and local authorities in complying with the Mayor’s climate mitigation policies. Guidance is also available to support planning applicants and local authorities in complying with the ‘be seen’ policy (the requirement to monitor and report on energy performance post-construction) and the Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Assessment policy.
The Mayor monitors progress against the climate mitigation policies and the collection of carbon offset funds annually.
Energy Assessment Guidance
The purpose of an energy assessment is to demonstrate that the proposed climate mitigation measures comply with the London Plan. It ensures that carbon reduction remains an integral part of the development’s design and evolution. The energy assessment must clearly outline the CO2 savings that will be achieved and the measures that will be put in place to reduce energy demand.
The following documents are for anyone involved in, or with an interest in, developing energy assessments including developers, energy consultants and local government officials.
The Energy Assessment Guidance 2022 provides information for planning applicants on how to comply with the London Plan climate mitigation policies.
The guidance is supported by the Carbon Emissions reporting spreadsheet. Applicants are required to submit this spreadsheet along with their energy assessment.
Part L 2021 of national building regulations took effect on 15 June 2022. All planning applications submitted on or after 1 January 2023 are required to follow the 2022 guidance and spreadsheet.
The Part L 2021 and the Energy Assessment Guidance 2022 cover note summarises changes to the Energy Assessment Guidance and Carbon Emissions Reporting Spreadsheet made following the introduction of Part L 2021.
An equality impact assessment (EqIA) was completed for the Energy Assessment Guidance.
If you have any questions about the guidance or the spreadsheet, please refer to these FAQs first. These FAQs will be updated regularly.
For any other questions, email [email protected].
Carbon Offset Guidance
The Greater London Authority (GLA)'s Carbon Offset Funds Guidance 2022, which is primarily for local authorities, explains how to set up a carbon offset fund and how these funds may be spent.
In 2025, the GLA also produced a practice note to provide some further clarity on our guidance and help Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) feel confident in using their offset funds effectively.
‘Be Seen’ Energy Monitoring Guidance
The ‘Be Seen’ – Energy Monitoring Guidance explains how to comply with the ‘be seen’ requirement in Policy SI 2 (A) (4), which requires all major developments to monitor and report their energy performance post-construction to ensure that the actual carbon performance of the development is aligned with the Mayor’s net zero-carbon target.
Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Assessments Guidance
The Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Assessments Guidance explains how to comply with the requirement in Policy SI 2 (F) for all referable planning applications to calculate and reduce whole life-cycle carbon (WLC) emissions to fully capture a development’s carbon impact.
Monitoring reports
The Mayor monitors progress with the implementation of the London Plan climate mitigation policies and monitors local authority progress with collecting and spending offset funds. The latest monitoring reports may be found on the Energy Monitoring Reports page.
Past versions of documents
These previous versions are provided for reference:
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