Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Paragraph: 41
Reaching net zero requires ensuring that new homes are designed and built in a way...
Recommendation
Reaching net zero requires ensuring that new homes are designed and built in a way that will avoid subsequent retrofitting and are built to net zero standards. This will also avoid the cost of ensuring higher standards being borne by the people living in the property, rather than being met by the developer. There needs to be certainty about the details of the Future Homes Standard as soon as possible to ensure the 2025 target is met. The technical consultation on the Future Homes Standard should take place in 2022 rather than 2023, thereby enabling the relevant legislation to be brought forward as soon as possible to ensure greater certainty for suppliers and developers. The Government should consider setting a further target of moving to zero carbon homes by 2030.
Paragraph Reference:
41
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will ensure that new homes produce at least 75% lower CO2 emissions compared to those built to current standards. This represents a considerable improvement in energy efficiency standards for new homes. Homes built under the Future Homes Standard will be ‘zero carbon ready’, which means that no further retrofit work for energy efficiency will be necessary to enable them to become zero-carbon homes as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise. Our 2025 timeline for the Future Homes Standard delivers on our net zero commitments, while ensuring that new homes are delivered in sufficient numbers in the places that we need them. Our work on a full technical specification has already been accelerated in order to consult on this in 2023. We will then aim to introduce the necessary legislation in 2024, ahead of implementation in 2025. However, we are not waiting until then to take action. On 15 December, we implemented an uplift for new homes. This is a key stepping-stone that will enable us to successfully implement the Future Homes Standard. Once the uplift comes into force, new homes will be expected to produce around 30% fewer CO2 emissions compared to current standards. This will deliver high-quality homes that are in line with our broader housing commitments and encourage homes that are future proofed for the longer term.