The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is correct to highlight that the Government’s missing retrofit strategy remains a barrier to green the nation’s homes and upskill the workforce in order to deliver a truly sustainable built environment.
The FMB has renewed its call for a major investment in a comprehensive retrofit scheme in response to the EAC’s recent Building to Net Zero report.
The EAC warned last week that to date there has been a lack of Government impetus or policy levers to assess and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With climate deadlines looming, urgent action is needed.
A clear timeframe for introducing whole-life carbon assessments, and ratcheting targets, should be set by the Government by the end of 2022 at the latest, and they should be introduced not later than December 2023.
Retrofit and reuse of buildings, keeping the carbon locked in, should be prioritised over new build. While the Government states it is prioritising retrofit and reuse, the Committee is concerned that reforms to permitted development rights appear to have created an incentive for demolition and new-build over retrofit. The Government must therefore urgently evaluate the impact of recent reforms to ensure that retrofit and reuse are prioritised.
Where retrofit is not possible, EAC recommends efficient and more effective use of low-carbon building materials.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said welcomed the committee’s conclusion that a retrofit strategy and complementary upskilling programme will be vital if we are to reach net zero by 2050.
“Fortunately, the Construction Leadership Council has already provided a blueprint for this National Retrofit Strategy, that would save 84.9Mt carbon emissions by 2040; unlock 500,000 new jobs; and help level up communities right across the country,” he continued. “At a time when consumers’ energy bills are spiralling upwards, these measures have never been so urgent.
“I wholeheartedly join the EAC in urging the Government to bring forward a credible long-term retrofit strategy, that incorporates the necessary upskilling needed within the sector, before the Summer Recess.
“With 29 million leaky and energy inefficient homes across the UK, the clock is ticking if we are to reach net zero by 2050.”
