Plan for social housing to meet emissions targets

A new report commissioned by Sustainable Homes has found significant action needs to be taken by social housing landlords in order to prepare for the worst effects of climate change.

The report, “Housing 2050: How UK social housing can meet the challenge of climate change”, sets out a list of actions that need to be carried out to ensure the targets set for CO2 emissions in 2050 are met by social housing providers.

Housing 2050 is based on research involving a number of participating housing providers with additional support provided by Ecuity and the Committee on Climate Change.

The key findings are:

1. Current social housing is not fit for 2050 and nor will it be if business planning continues on its current trajectory.
2. The financial planning cycle of landlords is 30 years. Financial plans need to be reviewed to ensure they are viable given the gap in environmental performance.
3. New finance models and cost savings are available to reduce CO2 emissions to safe levels, whilst at the same time being financially beneficial.

The report lists a range of actions that need to be taken now. These include:

Establishing higher building standards.

• Taking advantage of opportunities offered by modern methods of construction.
• Educating and upskilling staff in energy-efficiency measures and new technologies.
• Prioritising measures to tackle flooding and overheating.
• Integrating the retrofit works of older homes with other major cyclical works on existing buildings.
• Seeking public-private partnerships for low-carbon communal heating systems.
• Installing electric vehicle infrastructure.
• Developing a clear strategy for meeting 2050 targets.

Richard Lupo, Sustainability Consultant and author of the report, said: “The science states that we must make significant reductions in CO2 emissions by 2050 in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Typical financial planning cycles of 30 years for social landlords means that it is vital to start planning now, before getting locked into financially-crippling strategies.

“The UK social housing sector accounts for around 17% of all homes and as such bears a significant responsibility for reducing our CO2 emissions. Importantly, social landlords also have a responsibility to ensure that new and existing homes are adapted to forthcoming impacts of climate change.

“This research provides a snapshot of the current state of UK social housing. It highlights some good practice but also points to actions that need to be taken right now. I remain optimistic especially because new financial models are emerging which will help pay for the necessary improvements.”

Kathryn Brown, Head of Adaptation at the Committee on Climate Change, said: “The findings of this important report on social housing chime closely with those of our own independent report on all UK homes published yesterday. These show the UK’s legally-binding climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings. Efforts to adapt the UK’s housing stock to the impacts of the changing climate for higher average temperatures, flooding and water scarcity, are also lagging far behind what is needed to keep us safe and comfortable, even as these climate change risks grow.”

Robert Honeyman, Senior Economic Analyst at Ecuity, said: “We’re delighted to provide analytical support to Sustainable Homes. Buildings account for 19% of the UK’s greenhouse emissions, and energy use in homes will need to be decarbonised if we’re to tackle dangerous climate change. This is a complex problem. Our solutions need to be based on good data and sound analysis.”