Net zero Britain is impossible unless urgent action is taken warns Committee
The Government is failing to grasp the enormous challenge of decarbonising the UK’s housing stock, which accounts for 20% of our greenhouse gas emissions, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today warned.
In its latest report, Energy Efficiency of Existing Homes, the EAC states that the Government’s legally enshrined target to be net zero carbon by 2050 will hit a roadblock unless urgent action is taken to improve energy efficiency of homes this decade.
The Committee report states that the Government appears to have underestimated the costs to decarbonise UK homes by 2050, at between £35 billion and £65 billion. This does not currently include properties such as those with solid walls, or those in conservation areas which could make energy efficiency installations more challenging. 19 million UK properties need energy efficiency upgrades to meet EPC band C.
The EAC is concerned that the Government has announced just over £4 billion of the £9.2 billion committed to in the 2019 manifesto for energy efficiency measures. To stimulate activity, schemes such as the Home Upgrade Grants, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and phase two of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme should be front-loaded and rolled out without delay.
The report included some recommendations from the NRLA.
Some of the recommendations include:
- The EPC methodology should be overhauled to support energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures by indicating in its headline rating its energy and carbon metrics.
- Government should support the rollout of Building Renovation Passports, developed with an approved, standardised methodology, with a view to the eventual replacement of EPCs.
- The Government should set out how energy efficiency improvements can be reached in homes currently out of scope in the Government’s "cost effective, practical and affordable" criteria.
- Schemes such as the Home Upgrade Grants, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and phase two of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme should all have their funding front-loaded and the schemes rolled out without delay.
- All allocated funding for the Green Homes Grant that has not been spent by the end of March 2021 should be rolled over.
Gavin Dick, Local Authority Policy Officer, NRLA said: “We welcome the report, which features a range of recommendations that the NRLA have been calling for, which we believe would ensure landlords are empowered to make these essential changes.
“We know that landlords are willing to do the work, but they require more information on what updates to make and the order in which to do this work to make their properties energy efficient.
“The Committee recommendations also supports the NRLA’s calls to Government to roll over funds for the Green Homes Grants scheme. We’re also very supportive of the Committee’s call for the introduction of Building Renovation Passports to aid in the decarbonisation of homes.
“In our view the Committee’s recommendations would give landlords confidence to carry out the work to ensure the PRS plays it its role in helping to bring about a net zero Britain by 2050.”
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said:
“Making 19 million homes ready for net zero Britain by 2050 is an enormous challenge that the Government appears to have not yet grasped. In the next 29 years, the Government must improve energy efficiency upgrades and roll out low carbon heating measures: a material start must be made now.
“Government investment to improve energy efficiency has been woefully inadequate. The £9 billion that the Government pledged at the election was welcome, but 16 months on, there appears to be no plan nor meaningful delivery. Funding allocated for the Green Homes Grant has not been spent, with only £125 million worth of vouchers – of the £1.5 billion budget – issued.
“Realism needs to be injected into the Government. A much better understanding of cost, pace, scale and feasibility of skills development is desperately needed for net zero Britain.”
