The elephant in the room

The government’s commitment to cutting the carbon dioxide emissions of Britain’s homes has galvanised the house-building industry into action. Requiring all new-build housing to meet zero-carbon standards by 2016 is a great statement of intent. But, in all honesty, new build is the low-hanging fruit in policy terms. And that’s what is in the spotlight – while upgrading the existing housing stock is the unmentioned  elephant in the room.
 
We have to get new-build right, of course, and there are a number of issues that need to be addressed, from defining what zero-carbon actually means, and clarifying how we monitor and enforce the standards, to researching low-carbon solutions and skilling up the supply chain. But the stark truth is that 80% of the homes we’ll be living in by 2050 are already standing today.

By that same date, the scientific consensus is that we need to cut carbon emissions in the UK by 80% by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous climate change. When you consider that our existing homes are responsible for 27% of the UK’s current carbon emissions, you start to get a sense of the challenge ahead. Throw into the mix the fact that nearly three quarters of these homes are in private ownership, and you can appreciate the difficulties government is facing. It will have to come up with a robust response pretty soon.  

Reaching these tough goals will depend on getting a lot of players onside – including local and regional authorities, housing associations, energy and technology companies, and mortgage providers, as well as communities and individual homeowners. This special publication highlights the issues that need to be addressed, and showcases current areas of best practice, research and innovation.

There is no doubt that we need joined up policy interventions to ensure effective local strategies on all-too-familiar issues such as fuel poverty and urban regeneration. But we must also recognise that the current focus of such strategies falls well short of the level of carbon reduction required. In short, the UK requires strong political leadership, with well-resourced schemes to encourage private energy-efficient refurbishment and retrofitting of suitable technologies on a massive
scale.

Business has a vital role to play; ensuring that we have the skills, knowledge and capacity to deliver low-carbon solutions. There are great opportunities and rewards out there for early movers and those with the right goods and services. But only fiscal incentives and consistent messages from government can provide certainty in the marketplace and stimulate the innovation required.

Further work is also required to establish the links between more sustainable homes and the concepts of improved quality, and added value. This will in turn encourage the providers of services to homeowners, including estate agents, surveyors and mortgage lenders, to develop more sustainable products and services. The technical solutions are either emerging or already available. What we now need is a much better policy framework and far greater delivery capacity. Then, and only then, we will start to get the kind of carbon reductions we need from our existing housing stock.

Martin Hunt leads Forum for the Future’s work on the built environment

4 July 2008

Martin Hunt

Add new comment