SIR - Every time I cycle past the housing being built on the former Nab Wood Middle School site I am struck by the absence of solar energy technologies on the roofs.

Yet this sight is common practice for new build housing across the district.

The result is high energy bills for the residents and unnecessary carbon emissions for the rest of us to deal with.

This is unacceptable, especially considering our homes are already responsible for 31 per cent of the energy consumed in the UK.

According to former World Bank Chief Economist Sir Nicholas Stern, the world economy will shrink by a fifth if we do not cut our carbon emissions and stabilise the climate soon. So it's time to invest in sustainable housing now and save money in the longer term.

Germany installs 100 times more solar panelling than the UK and new-build carbon-zero homes cost just ten per cent more to construct than traditional housing designs.

Bradford Council should therefore strengthen its planning and building regulatory procedures - and lobby central government likewise - to ensure our homes are fit for life in the 21st century.

Coun Kevin Warnes (Green, Shipley) Moorhead Terrace, Shipley