First report - Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction

BEIS is already leading the UK involvement in the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI), an international alliance that aims to create markets for low carbon industrial materials, and is planning a roadmap on guidance for harmonisation of product level embodied carbon disclosure and on carbon limits.

BEIS is working with the Green Construction Board, the wider membership of the Construction Leadership Council and the ICE to promote the Low Carbon Concrete Routemap to industry, and outlines the recommendations for clients, designers, contractors and suppliers.

The Government has worked with steel producers and major customers to encourage the development and use of digital information about steel products, to support the use of ‘Object Libraries’ and other digital design tools that accelerate the design of projects, and continues to support the use of BIM technologies.

The cross-government and industry timber in construction working group will design a policy roadmap, with education and skills within the timber in construction sector being a key element. The Government will work with industry to co-ordinate and increase sharing of best practice for skills in timber in construction.

The government has committed to encouraging research into barriers to uptake of timber in construction, including looking at timber strength grades and the fire resistance of engineered timber structures. The government also published its response to the combustibles ban consultation in June.

Contracting Authorities are already able to request a whole-life carbon assessment during the procurement process where relevant and proportionate, and this will remain the case after rules reform.

The government states they are working to review and improve communications to ensure that consumers have access to the information and advice they need to make retrofit decisions. They mention the Simple Energy Advice Service (SEA) and a new heat pump online calculator.

The government asserts that they agree with the committee and highlights the Green Jobs Delivery Group, the Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, free Level 3 qualifications for adults, and the Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel (GAAP) to work with employers to align apprenticeships to net zero objectives as already covering this.

The government states that the National Model Design Code encourages local councils to set design standards, develop policies that consider the assessment whole life costs and implement sustainable construction, focusing on reducing embodied energy and embedding circular economy principles, and should be read as part of the National Design Guide.

The government highlights the publication of the Low Carbon Concrete Routemap, a comprehensive guide to reducing carbon emissions associated with the construction industry developed through collaboration by a wide range of independent experts.

BEIS is continuing progress on providing the sector with support to decarbonise, which includes support provided through the increase of the EII compensation scheme, funding steel projects through programmes such as the Industrial Fuel Switching competition, and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

The Government has kept the outright ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of new blocks of flats, hospitals, and student accommodation over 18 metres, and introduced statutory guidance for residential buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres (to commence on 1 December 2022).

The Government acknowledges the cost of living pressures and highlights existing support packages. They claim to be stimulating demand for retrofit through direct investment, VAT reduction, strengthening minimum energy performance standards, supporting green finance, and improving consumer understanding, and outline existing quality assurance mechanisms.

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has spent almost £6 million on a skills training competition which delivered around 7000 training opportunities for the energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains and are developing options for further funding. The Government also previously provided £4.7 million of funding to six local supply chain demonstration pilots.