Date published: 19 October 2021
“Decarbonising the UK’s homes is one of the most significant challenges that housing providers like Stonewater are grappling with. We have been calling for the publication of a roadmap for this for some time, and so we’re pleased to see the breadth of commitment and revised targets in today’s Heat and Buildings Strategy. This will not only support us in tackling the climate emergency, but also help the sector to lift thousands of households out of fuel poverty.
“We have long advocated the importance and role of heat pumps in the decarbonisation of housing and are pleased that the Government has also recognised this through additional support to make them more affordable.
“Ahead of the government publishing its strategy we have continued pursuing our ambitions of creating resilient affordable communities and embedding sustainability into both our new and existing homes. As well as trailblazing retrofit initiatives, we have commissioned Passivhaus schemes and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) developments. Since April last year, we have followed a policy of not approving any new projects that include fossil fuel heating where we are the developer. We hope that other developers will do the same so that we can beat the 2035 deadline by some margin.
“Critical to the success of delivering the plans outlined in the strategy is adequate funding. Our research found that over the next ten years, it would require a total investment of £36bn to meet the scale of action needed to decarbonise the 1.76 million social rented homes that currently fail to meet EPC of C. The Government’s additional funding of £800m for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is welcome, but doesn’t go far enough.
“We hope today’s announcement will give more housing providers the confidence to pursue sustainability strategies, as the sector continues to lead the way to implementing positive changes to achieve net zero.”