Existing Homes
Energy used in buildings is responsible for nearly half of the UK’s carbon emissions. With homes currently accounting for 27% of the UK’s carbon emissions, they offer plenty of scope for significant reductions to our national carbon footprint.
The government and industry are working together towards zero carbon housing standards by 2016 for new homes. But what about the existing stock? The SDC has reviewed the technical measures and policies that can make huge cuts in carbon emissions and continues to work with government and stakeholders to find a way to create a step change in emissions.
The SDC believes that existing homes and communities have a huge role to play in ameliorating the current housing crisis, meeting resource efficiency targets and creating sustainable communities. Government policy needs to support the continual regeneration of existing communities through new investment in existing neighbourhoods, infill building and upgrading of homes.
Taking a more community-based, organic and joined up approach to housing need and social fragmentation would deliver renewed rather than new communities. It would integrate diverse social groups and overcome the isolation and inefficiency of a car-born, high carbon, low density, sprawling society.
In 2006, the SDC launched Stock Take, our advice to government on developing a policy framework to tackle the challenge of the existing housing stock. Since then, government has responded by taking action in some key areas of this agenda, but we still need a concerted approach by both public and private sectors to deliver the step change needed.
Recommendations include:
• Development of a standard for sustainable existing homes that can be used to drive improvements across tenure types
• Balancing any increase in CO2 emissions or water consumption in housing growth areas by matching this with a commensurate reduction in carbon emissions or water consumption in existing homes in the same region
• Equalising VAT on refurbishment and new build to overcome the current distortion that encourages developers and home owners to demolish and replace homes instead of refurbishing existing buildings to high environmental standards
• Using the enabling powers of the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 to make sustainable development the driving force behind revised Building Regulations
• Developing a one-stop-shop for whole house resource efficiency advice, finance and improvement works.
Stock Take: In this report, we have reviewed the potential to improve efficiency of energy, water and waste in existing homes, and provided policy recommendations to realise these savings. |
Eco-retrofit Films
| View this video on YouTube | View this video on YouTube |
| Nottingham Ecohome - Penny Poyzer Full case study Videos from the: Sustainable Energy Academy | Environmental retro-fit of Victorian House in Camden. Full case study. |
Case Studies
We believe that demonstrations of sustainable refurbishments could inspire policy makers and home owners. We have collected a series of case studies that we believe show ‘the art of the possible’. Each case study has reduced emissions by around 60%, whilst creating warm, attractive, healthy homes.
Carshalton Grove: A 19th century semi-detached house which is undergoing major eco-refurbishment. The improvement will reduce total carbon emissions from the house by 75%.
Drum Housing Association: Six post war semi-detached and bungalow homes located off the gas network, occupied by mainly elderly people and managed by a housing association. Homes have been insulated and fitted with microgeneration to achieve a 75% annual carbon emissions reduction.
Haringey: Group repair of mixed tenure 19th century terraced and semi-detached homes reducing carbon emissions and regenerating the urban neighbourhood.
Community Heating
We have commissioned a study into the potential for community heating to be retrofitted to existing homes to reduce carbon emissions at a neighbourhood scale. It identified a major potential for existing flats and terraced homes to benefit from lower cost, lower carbon heating systems which could bring wider benefits to their communities.
We will use these findings to inform our advice to government on sustainable communities and public sector buildings policy.
» Community Heating Report - Delta Energy and Environment
