Building change

A newly formed Existing Homes Alliance has come together behind a set of proposals that add up to a radical low carbon refurbishment programme. 

“We cannot afford to wait; we must start now.” That’s the urgent message from the Existing Homes Alliance. Its Declaration on the Future of Existing Housing, due to be launched in June, makes no bones about the long-term objective – to cut the carbon emissions from the UK’s existing housing stock by 80% by 2050.
 
Outlining the essential measures to get us there, the Declaration is equally unequivocal about what’s needed: a coherent plan, and bold and concerted action - from government, business, the housing sector and individuals.

“While the new build housing sector has enjoyed a raft of targets and initiatives in recent years”, it says, “existing housing lacks an equivalent level of policy and industry ambition. Policies are piecemeal, supply chains fragmented, industry lacks skills, and consumers lack access to the services they need. It is time to recognise the scale of the challenge presented by our existing homes.”

“We need a whole-house approach to encourage packages of resource efficient improvements, rather than individual measures”

If many of its action points seem clearly aimed at the government’s in-tray, the Alliance is keen to stress that its programme relies on all sectors working together to deliver solutions. There’s a corresponding emphasis on common interests too. “As practitioners we want to help government develop effective policies,” says the Alliance’s acting chair, Paul Ruyssevelt of  ESD, “and demonstrate the benefits these can deliver. We need to be radically refurbishing over half a million homes a year between now and 2050 if our carbon targets are to be met. Key to this is a whole-house approach that encourages packages of resource efficient improvements rather than individual measures.”

Saving carbon, creating jobs, stimulating new business, reducing energy bills, protecting asset values and creating warm and healthy environments – it all adds up to a menu of massive opportunities. Hence the Alliance’s confidence that the necessary investment  “can be unlocked from existing sectors“ (currently £23 billion is spent annually on home renovation, maintenance and repair) if the incentives are right. “We want to show”, says John Doggart of the Sustainable Energy Academy, “that there is a very wide constituency of support for this level of concerted action on our existing homes.”

Turning the plan into reality involves showing that it really can be done. Which is why the Declaration calls for a major programme of exemplar low energy refurbishments, targeting 100,000 homes within 3 years and 500,000 homes within 5 years – to help kick start the development of a supply chain, stimulate innovation and skills development, inspire action and encourage substantial investment.

As an initial action this should include:

• 1,000 exemplar houses (within 20 minutes of nearly everyone in the country), showing homeowners that transformed houses will be attractive, feasible and aspirational;
• a programme of ‘whole street’ refurbishment projects, covering at least 5,000 properties and targeting areas of high fuel poverty concentration.

What's in the plan?

A coherent strategy and action plan to deliver 80% carbon emissions reductions across the whole housing sector should include:

• Firm targets for the number of households to be transformed each year and the scale of annual energy savings to be delivered.    
• A clear regulation timetable, backed by market incentives and recognising key trigger points such as the sale of a property or re-letting.   
• Minimum standards for household energy performance, using the opportunity provided by energy performance certificates, backed by enhanced building regulations and strengthened revisions to the Decent Home Standard.    
• More financial incentives – to encourage homeowners, landlords and housing managers to invest in energy efficiency and renewable generation. These to include tax incentives (such as stamp duty or council tax rebates), VAT reform on refurbishment, low interest loans, feed in tariffs, grants and energy services to make low carbon choices possible and even pay.
• New service offerings, products and packages  - including one-stop-shop services for installing and financing home energy improvements, energy service company offerings, green mortgage products linked to energy improvements, and revised utility tariff structures.
• Greater access to information and advice, including real time carbon use information. “There is a clear role for energy suppliers, builders, DIY merchants, local authorities, estate agents, and other independent advice providers to inform and encourage homeowners in improving the resource efficiency of their homes.“
• Mandatory training and up-skilling in energy and resource efficient techniques for every building trade professional, backed by badging to make the public aware of these skills, and registers of trusted installers.

"For property managers, the equation is simple: if we fail to deliver on climate, we fail our customers and our businesses. Existing homes are being woefully neglected in the climate change debate. The government and the housing industry must act urgently to bring this pressing issue to the centre of the debate and ensure that UK’s 26 million existing homes are made fit for the 21st Century."

Nicholas Doyle of Places for People, the UK’s largest housing association
“The UK has a long way to go to make low-carbon refurbishment mainstream. What is needed is a much more ambitious programme of work to upgrade the entire housing stock (targeting the affluent as well as the poor) to a much higher standard. The truth is that current programmes are doing too little for the most deprived households and will do next to nothing to combat climate change.”

Gavin Killip, senior researcher at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute
The Existing Homes Alliance was formed out of a partnership between ESD (Energy for Sustainable Development), the Sustainable Energy Academy, the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, Places for People, the Housing Corporation, the Sustainable Development Commission, AECB, ACE (the Association for the Conservation of Energy), the Chartered Institute of Housing,and WWF-UK. The network has now grown to encompass a wide range of organisations, including both experts and practitioners. Details of the launch of the Declaration on June 3 are available at www.existinghomesalliance.org

26 June 2008

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