A RAFT of new "green" regulations mean the property sector should brace itself for a year of "double crunch," according to a leading expert.

Dr Angus McIntosh, head of research at international property consultants King Sturge, warned an audience of office developers and occupiers in Bristol that the effects of the global "credit crunch" would be compounded in April by the introduction of stringent new government environmental standards.

In addition to developers aiming for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM Excellence), which measures a building's environmental impact throughout its life, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which give buildings an A-G energy efficiency rating, come into force from April 2008 for larger buildings, and for all buildings by October.

"For the property sector this is the year of the double crunch, with the credit crunch' set to be followed by a green crunch'," said Dr McIntosh.

"We, in the property industry, need to separate the profit from the hype when it comes to green issues, and plainly we are not thinking about how we marry environmental sustainability with economic sustainability.

"With the EPC issue in particular, it seems to me that we are wandering into a repeat of the HIPs fiasco last summer. But make no mistake, this is just the start of this process.

"In addition to EPCs and BREEAM, all public sector buildings - such as GP surgeries, schools and government offices - from October, need to provide a Display Energy Certificate, which identifies how much energy is used. All in all, we are entering a whole new era in terms of the way we look at buildings."