The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) says improving thermal efficiency is important, but not as much as decarbonising the supply of energy to buildings.
The ETI’s Housing Retrofits – A New Start report says that heating the 28 million UK homes accounts for 17% of energy-related CO2 emissions, mostly from space heating, hot water and cooking. Adding indirect emissions from electric heating means 20% of UK emissions come from domestic heat.
The report’s key findings include:
- improving the thermal efficiency of existing UK housing stock is a key part of a cost-effective UK decarbonisation strategy but is not a substitute for decarbonising the supply of energy to buildings
- making efficiency improvements an integral part of improving the amenity and value of dwellings, rather than a series of independent measures, should improve uptake
- a focus on the interests of the owners and occupiers, and the performance of the supply chain in delivering retrofit to them, is critical
- although cost savings are rarely enough to justify the work at current energy prices, there is a strong case for improving the quality of the UK housing stock
- a coherent long-term strategy that recognises the underlying economics will enable more entrepreneurial businesses to invest in the changes required to deliver more cost-effective, high performing retrofits.
Retrofit progress must recognise that efficiency savings are a very weak driver and that a combination of improved comfort and amenity, improved supply chain performance and mechanisms mandating or rewarding carbon savings will be required. A mix of measures is more likely to be a successful ‘sell’ than a blanket approach. Although very deep retrofits are technically feasible, their cost could potentially be similar to the cost of rebuilding the entire UK housing stock (in excess of £2tn).
