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The sustainable building association AECB is launching the CarbonLite Programme (CLP), a crash course in low energy buildings for the design and construction industry, at Ecobuild today.

Funded by the Carbon Trust, CLP promises a radical new approach to zero carbon design, while complementing and supporting existing government legislation and frameworks.

CarbonLite draws on over 20 years of expertise of building low carbon buildings from within the AECB membership and from successful low energy programmes in Europe and Canada.

Liz Reason, director of CLP, said: "We hope CLP will influence the current debates about zero carbon buildings and that its standards will be widely adopted in the UK."

CLP concentrates on using simple design principles to achieve genuinely low carbon buildings.

Passivhaus (the German eco-movement meaning passive house) design elements are promoted, including maximising use of passive solar gain, super insulation, stringent airtightness standards and use of mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems.

The programme has developed three steps to improved building energy performance, which will involve corresponding to the higher levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

The idea is that houses built to CarbonLite standards would be extremely cost-effective to build, would require very little energy to heat and could cut energy use by between 70-95% compared to the UK average.

CLP has already received support from across the design and construction industry.

Speakers at the event include the RIBA president Sunand Prasad, Willmott Dixon associate director George Martin, director of knowledge & skills at CABE Jonathan Davis, and Bill Gething partner at Feilden Clegg architects and hair of BRE global sustainability board.

Prasad said: "It's great for our members, their clients and co-designers to be offered further practical guidance about low energy building.

"The CarbonLite Programme is particularly useful for its relationship with the best European standards and one that should help more architects around the UK in their efforts to mitigate climate change through design."