The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published its 2024 Progress Report to UK Parliament, and the viability of net zero buildings is one of the top items on the agenda.
Representing a major opportunity for the sustainable industry, net zero buildings generate energy onsite using clean, renewable resources in a quantity equal to or greater than the total amount of energy consumed onsite.
This couldn’t be more timely, as buildings are the second highest emitting sector in the UK. Yet there has been a lack of effective and consistent policy conducive to decarbonising at the scale and pace required.
Greater emphasis on net zero buildings
The industry has collaborated to produce the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
However, the industry cannot do this alone—as the CCC highlighted, the government needs to be more ambitious to drive action forward.
The report shows we have successfully weaned ourselves off coal, and now the focus on oil and gas is bringing buildings to the forefront of discussion. The report confirms the next three carbon budgets will place greater emphasis on net zero buildings, with emissions reductions in buildings needing to triple by 2030.
The CCC’s recommendations for achieving this include:
Electrified heating
One of the CCC’s key recommendations is to make electricity cheaper through various mechanisms, thereby improving the return on investment for installing heat pumps.
Another is the relaxation of planning restrictions to enable heat pumps to be installed within 1m of the property boundary, which will also expand the potential market for heat pumps.
Reversing recent policy rollbacks is also recommended, including exempting 20% of households from the phase-out of fossil fuel boilers by 2035, delaying the oil boiler ban to 2035, and scrapping the 2028 EPC C target for properties.
Due to their critical role in achieving net zero buildings, heat pump technology has been developing in recent years, including improvements in efficiency and design.
Energy efficiency in buildings
Heat pumps work best in well-insulated homes, yet UK homes lose heat up to three times faster than European neighbours.
There has been a significant increase in the number of organisations offering ‘one-stop-shop’ retrofit models. These models assess building energy performance, support householders with prioritising retrofit measures and connect them with installers and contractors.
However, the CCC’s recommendations will also mean retrofitting commercial buildings at scale (with an emphasis on electrifying industrial heat) and developing a proper strategy for the decarbonisation of public buildings.
Climate adaptation and resilience
Prioritising and reorganising government adaptation policy is also highlighted as a recommendation, which would have a direct impact on the adaptation of net zero buildings.
There are a range of measures we can deploy as an industry to reduce climate hazard risks like flooding and overheating. Priority should be given to passive measures to minimise demand on the grid and nature-based solutions to minimise embodied carbon and maximise co-benefits.
The industry is already making progress in this area, collaborating on the UK Climate Resilience Roadmap.
Built environment organisations should be ready to deploy these measures, as well as ensure the resilience of shared facilities and infrastructure.
Labour’s commitments to eco-friendly buildings
Following its General Election victory in July, the new Labour Government made the ambitious commitment to construct 300,000 eco-friendly new homes each year, designed to be examples of energy efficiency and low carbon usage.
This initiative aims to ensure that the surge in housing does not come at an environmental cost.
The Labour manifesto states that each home will be built to the highest sustainability standards, featuring renewable energy systems, advanced thermal insulation, and smart energy management technologies to minimise carbon footprints.
Central to Labour’s strategy is the reformation of national building regulations to significantly cut carbon emissions from new and existing buildings.
The government is expected to enforce stricter carbon reduction standards in building codes and promote the use of sustainable materials and renewable energy technologies.
These changes aim to make zero-carbon buildings the standard in the UK, reducing the construction sector’s overall environmental impact.
This presents a major opportunity for the industry to step up and make an impact towards creating a more just and sustainable future.
