The UK’s housebuilders will have to consider much more than bricks and mortar if they are to do their bit for climate change. Every new home must now be designed and constructed for maximum energy efficiency. Simplistically, things appear to be on course, but remain work-in-progress. Across the industry, drums are being banged with little dissent about the why, what, and how, albeit with some variations in tune and tempo according to individual agendas. Perhaps not surprisingly, more clarity, less uncertainty and, inevitably, more tangible government support would be welcomed.
The big number is the government target to build 300,000+ new homes annually by the mid-2020s (In 2020, the National House Building Council registered 123,000 homes, and 160,000 in 2019, pre-Covid). In context, a spokesman for the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) said: “New builds play a critical part in the UK commitment to reach net-zero by 2050 – around 20 per cent of buildings...