Improving home performance

It is widely recognised that existing housing stock must be improved if we are to reduce the carbon impact of the built environment, while quality, affordable homes remain a key political talking point as we head towards the election.

There are signs that we are making progress towards providing better homes for owners and tenants in the UK, with demand for heat pumps growing and the introduction of Scotland’s New Build Heat Standard (NBHS).

As the Boiler Upgrade Scheme marks its second anniversary, applications have risen by 93% year-on-year. Over 2,300 applications are now submitted each month since the Government increased grants from £5,000 to £7,500 last autumn.

The scheme has paid out over 25,000 grants, totalling more than £148 million. The £5 million Heat Training Scheme has funded training for around 3,000 heat pump installers since July 2023 to help close the skills gap.

Find out more on Business Green.

25% of homes have heritage features that can impact retrofit activities. Addressing the skills gap in the heritage sector and providing better clarity around planning requirements could significantly help. The Government is currently working with the National Development Management Plan and the Local Listed Building Consent Orders to help remove planning policy inconsistencies around heritage buildings.

Read the full story here.

The Government has announced that social housing tenants will be able to access information that can hold landlords accountable and improve building quality.

This includes information about other local properties that are experiencing damp and mould and what action has been taken to solve it, breaches in health and safety inspections, and whether landlords are compliant with the Social Housing (Regulations) Act and fix emergency repairs within 24 hours.

Read more on the Government website.

UK and Scottish authorities are being called on to overhaul existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) models to help provide more accurate and relevant information. This could support home and building owners as they move to lower carbon heat.

The information could include better advice, information on existing heating systems, and the use of flexible tariffs and energy generation from solar thermal or PV panels.

Discover more about low-carbon EPC models here.

The New Build Heat Standard (NBHS) came into effect on 1 April and it prohibits fossil fuel heating, such as oil and gas boilers or bioenergy.

Instead, it requires all new homes and buildings in Scotland to favour climate-friendly alternatives such as heat pumps, solar thermal or electric boilers.

This is part of the wider change to Scottish Buildings Regulations that aim to help Scotland meet its 2045 net-zero carbon target.

See the full story on RIBA Journal.

We are still in a position where more than half of UK housing stock needs retrofitting to lower energy bills.

Each home requires different improvements, and the upfront costs are a massive barrier to change; landlords need access to schemes that enable them to make these changes.

Currently, 18 million homes are estimated to have an EPC rating of D or below.