A report to Government has recently claimed that more than one home every minute will need to be refurbished between now and 2050 if the UK is to meet its carbon emissions target.
It states that 25 million homes will not meet the insulation standards required and in order to do so, the UK needs to cut its carbon emissions by 80%, a third of which comes from heating poorly insulated buildings.
Whilst Government has responded to the report saying that it will devise policies as soon as possible, ministers have been criticised for the speed of their response to tackle the quality of housing in the UK, claiming that a more robust scheme would not only help the UK meet its targets but save on bills and improve people’s health, comfort and happiness.
Mark Cooper, national sales director at pan European insulation specialist Actis commented: “The UK has amongst the worst housing stock in the whole of Europe when it comes to energy efficiency – and it’s responsible for a third of our carbon emissions. The collapse of the Green Deal and the removal of the zero carbon standard have not helped. And neither has the perception that retrofitting is disruptive. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be that bad – depending on the construction of the house and the type of insulation materials used.”
Further comment has come from industry on the focus of future schemes, highlighting the need to not neglect financially able households when prioritising those that are regarded as fuel poor.
Speaking to Roofzine, Neil Marshall, chief executive of the National Insulation Association (NIA), commented: “We wholeheartedly agree. The new Energy Company Obligation [ECO] from April 2017 will focus on fuel poor households, so Government now needs to look at the able to pay market and how it can help stimulate that sector.
“This should include helping to create consumer awareness of the benefits of insulation, helping to facilitate a range of attractive finance options including buy now pay later, interest free credit, low cost loans and targeted regulations and incentives linked to house moving, council tax and property upgrades.”
The UK Green Building Council’s (UK-GBC) Building places that work for everyone: Industry insights into key Government priorities report says that of all homes that will be occupied in 2050, four out of five have already been built, meaning 25 million homes will need to be refurbished to the highest standards by 2050 – a rate of 1.4 homes a minute.
It recommends:
- Laying out targets for refurbishment in stages
- Bringing back the ‘zero-carbon’ standard for buildings as of 2020
- The recognition of energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority
- Outlining a long-term course of action to permanently change the approach towards home energy standards
- Further obligation for commercial buildings to reveal energy consumption
