The government needs to ensure that homeowners have control over their energy usage, a specialist has urged.

Alastair Ramsay, sustainable development manager for Legrand, stated that the UK must evaluate its approach on how it uses controls with regard to lighting in commercial buildings and schemes in order for the market to deliver zero carbon properties.

"Such a rethink would put the power to control energy use firmly in the hands of the homeowners and I say with absolute confidence that this new-found control would be popular across the board," Mr Ramsay explained.

He added that, while Part L and the Green Deal aim to obtain a minimum level of energy efficiency, they will not be beneficial unless effective controls are included.

These remarks follow comments from Gavin Dunn from the Property and Energy Professionals Association, who claimed that the Green Deal offers a number of opportunities for people in the residential and commercial sectors.