‘Vital’ to green UK housing to cut carbon

The report, The Future of Housing, is written by the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) and was launched last night (October 14) at the House of Lords.

One of the eight key areas outlined in the report is the retrofitting of housing stock to reduce carbon emissions.

It states: “Ensuring that both our new and existing homes have minimal energy requirements is an urgent priority.

“This will be vital if we are to achieve the government target of an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.”

A mass programme of retrofitting would also help tackle fuel poverty, improve health and would create new jobs.

The BSHF report proposes various ways of encouraging people to retrofit their homes.

One idea put forward is to set up a loan programme where loan repayments are offset against decreased energy costs.

Lord Richard Best, who chaired the consultation which produced the report, said: “Twenty-five years ago, I was invited by the Duke of Edinburgh to co-ordinate an inquiry into British housing.

“Over the last two years there has been a dramatic upheaval in our housing and financial systems, demonstrating the urgent need to review the state of our housing system and how we can change it.

“I hope this report encourages people, organisations and the government to take bold steps to overhaul our dysfunctional housing system.”

To read the report click here.

Luke Walsh