case_studies

Opportunities for scaling deep housing retrofit

Housing is the third-largest sector contributing to carbon emissions in the UK, accounting for 18% of the overall emission (BEIS), hence we have decided to launch our latest Housing Innovation Programme.

An ongoing construction project; external walls of a building are being insulated with insulating material and several windows are visible.

September 6, 2019

In June 2019, the UK became the first major economy to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. This will require the UK to bring all greenhouse emissions to net-zero by 2050. In order to meet this target, it is vital that we cut the energy required for domestic space and hot-water heating to a minimum and use only zero-carbon sources.

The UK housing stock is old and inefficient, and the replacement rate is low. 80% of the homes we will use in 2050 already exist.

We, therefore, must upgrade our existing housing stock to be much more energy-efficient. This means improving the fabric of the buildings, to transform the existing housing stock into homes fit for the future.

Homes fit for the future are homes that are:

Low carbon
Resilient to climate change
Attractive and desirable places to live
Adaptable to the changing needs of society

Our Housing Innovation Programme joined forces with Innovate UK and The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) to convene industry stakeholders to debate and explore ideas which could contribute to upgrading our housing stock and tackling the challenge of climate change while simultaneously meeting the future needs of our citizens.

Four ideas were put forward which could help both buyers and suppliers scale deep retrofit solutions: