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Seeing as energy efficiency is in the news – a thread on the impact of delays in upping new build standards:
The long-awaited Building Regulations Review (2019, here: http://shorturl.at/mptyS ) proposed removing the planning loophole allowing homes to be built to previous standards should ‘work have commenced’ on site. 1/7
The loophole allowed developers to build inefficient housing, to standards way out of date, creating stock that needs to be retrofitted later to align with net zero (see: CCC http://shorturl.at/txyzQ – ‘over a million more homes requiring zero-carbon retrofits now’ than 2008). 2/7
Even with a record 40% drop in output in Apr 20 (coronavirus related), @Savills estimate c. 170k homes will be built this year ( http://shorturl.at/fivJ1 ), all that have outdated energy efficiency standards and will require retrofitting. 3/7
This is all as we wait for the Building Regs review conclusion and new regulations introduction (timeframe: unknown). 4/7
The CCC shows that the cost of making homes net zero ready at the new build stage are £4,800. Cost of same measures as retrofit are £26,300. That adds over £20k to the cost bared by homeowners. ( http://shorturl.at/bmSX0 ) 5/7
A top 5 housebuilder made £60k profit per house in 2018 ( http://shorturl.at/kBCH1 ). The costs of aligning their new homes with net zero at the build stage still leaves 92% of that profit and saves the public £4,471 million in the long run. 6/7
Perhaps ‘build build build’ isn’t necessarily ‘building back better’? 7/7
P.S. see more analysis here: https://eciu.net/news-and-events/press-releases/2019/data-just-1-of-new-homes-being-built-to-highest-efficiency-standards
