UK must mirror European net zero policy to reduce apartment building emissions
With 20% of Britain’s housing stock now made up of multi-home buildings, renovation and retrofit regulations must change to cut the associated footprint.
Countries across the EU face similar challenges, with the European Commission reporting that 46% of the bloc’s population now lives in an apartment. However, many of the UK’s continental counterparts have taken big steps to roll out effective initiatives to help tackle the high emissions from ageing homes situated in shared structures.
A new report by the Energy Saving Trust has identified a number of ways in which Downing Street can work more effectively on upgrading existing flats to meet net zero standards. These can be implemented within the expected Warm Homes Plan, and begin with improving access to impartial expert advice to help navigate notoriously complex property laws in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In the long term, grants and low cost loans aimed at groups of flat owners acting collectively could prove vital. Meanwhile, low income and vulnerable households will need additional guidance. Meanwhile, in Scotland, where property law is considered to be more straight forward and favourable towards owners, clearer framework and improved technical advice would be welcome for whole-of-building, collective renovation projects. Learnings are taken from five case studies in France, Spain, and the Netherlands.
‘Energy Saving Trust’s new publication on retrofitting flats and apartment buildings across Europe and the UK is both timely and essential. Evidence from Europe shows that retrofitting can be accomplished effectively, even with the challenges posed by flats and apartments – a particularly complex area for decarbonisation,’ said Alex Moseley, Policy Advisor at Sustainable Energy Association. ‘With a new UK Government in place and the Warm Homes Plan awaiting full implementation, Energy Saving Trust’s research has the potential to align with UK Government efforts, advancing energy efficiency across all building types and particularly those where upgrades are most difficult.’
You can read the full report and recommendations here.
More energy:
Bradford’s £75m decarbonised heat network is a blueprint for the UK
Image: Jimmy Nilsson Masth via Unsplash