Greener housing

Posted September 2009

Britain has the oldest housing stock in the developed world with 8.5 million properties over 60 years old.

Improving the environmental performance of this existing housing stock will play a crucial role in meeting the UK's ambitious CO2 emissions reduction targets.

The publication of a draft Heat and Energy Saving Strategy(this is an external link and will open in a new window) has outlined clear priorities for the refurbishment of existing housing.

In both the private and social housing sectors, we face the key challenge of cost-effectively reducing CO2 emissions, against a backdrop of increasing household energy demand.

Faithful+Gould was appointed to lead an assessment of the rate of refurbishment of existing housing in the West Midlands area of the UK.

Low Carbon Housing - developing a baseline for refurbishment in the West Midlands (available from the West Midlands Regional Assembly(this is an external link and will open in a new window)), was jointly commissioned by the West Midlands Regional Assembly and Advantage West Midlands in response to a commitment in the West Midlands Regional Climate Change Action Plan.

The assessment's recommendations included:

  • Clear Regional targets should be set reflecting UK carbon budgets up to 2022
  • The Region should focus on activities that will deliver the greatest energy savings (insulation, energy efficient heating) and in areas where the carbon impact of energy reduction will be the greatest (e.g. transferring rural homes on carbon intensive fuels to low carbon alternatives)
  • Energy efficient refurbishment should not be considered in isolation from behaviour change and the switch to low or zero carbon fuels
  • Regional manufacturers, suppliers, and installers are essential to achieving targets, and a commitment to investment will provide assurance to enable business to build capacity and develop new skills.

Energy and CO2 emissions reduction in existing homes is a global issue.

The UK is the first country to set legally binding CO2 reduction targets, influenced by European legislation such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Sustainable building principles such as the PassivHaus(this is an external link and will open in a new window) standard developed in Germany are also a driving force.

How we can help

Faithful+Gould's UK carbon management team comprises low carbon consultants, licensed BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes Assessors and accredited Energy Assessors.

Our housing sector client base includes registered social landlords, local authorities, ALMOs, housing associations, stock transfer organisations and private developers. We work with public and private developers on delivering zero carbon and are active at strategic level through our work with the Zero Carbon Hub(this is an external link and will open in a new window) and UK Green Building Council(this is an external link and will open in a new window).

Learn more about our sustainability services and how we can help you with:

Make an enquiry