UKGBC responds to CCC’s Progress Report to Parliament

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has today responded to the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) Progress Report to Parliament.
Housing estate in the UK demonstrating old housing stock in need of retrofit

Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC, said:

“We’re pleased to see that the CCC has again highlighted the key role of buildings in reaching our net zero target. Coronavirus has transformed the context of our race to net zero and Government must now focus on directing economic stimulus spending towards areas that align with meeting our emissions target. The built environment is consistently cited as one of the key levers that can address all three priorities at once: jobs, climate and health. We fully support the CCC’s calls for Government to integrate Net Zero into all policy making and ensure procurement strategies are consistent with the UK’s climate objectives.

“The report’s recommendations chime closely with UKGBC’s priorities for a green recovery. Making new buildings fit for the future, improving the energy efficiency of our existing buildings and integrating green infrastructure across the board are all essential to truly building back better.

“We echo the CCC’s call for the Government to take low-carbon heat from a niche market in the UK to the dominant form of installation by the early 2030s and their calls for a national effort to improve the energy efficiency of UK buildings. We look forward to Government urgently bringing forward their manifesto pledges to kickstart energy efficiency retrofit in fuel poor households and the social housing and public sectors. Also welcome is the committee’s focus on the need to address embodied emissions, which will come into sharp focus as we drive down operational energy use.

“As the lockdown begins to ease, we urge the government to push forward its green ambitions by pressing play on the publication of the new Building Regulations, more ambitious details of the Future Homes Standard and the Buildings and Heat Strategy.”

Check out UKGBC’s position paper on the green recovery here.

The Committee on Climate Change’s Progress Report to Parliament is available here.

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