UK must future-proof its homes against climate change

The UK needs to future proof its housing stock against climate change by introducing new measures in new residential developments, according to a new report.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which provides independent advice to government on how to build a low-carbon economy and prepare for climate change, has made a series of recommendations that it says should be implemented.

According to its report, the legally binding targets on climate change won't be met in the UK unless greenhouse gas emissions are almost completely eliminated.

Reductions in emissions from the UK's 29 million homes have stalled, but energy use in our homes is rising. Domestic energy use accounts for 14 percent of all UK emissions.

The report also noted that efforts to adapt our housing stock to the changing climate have fallen behind.

It makes five recommendations for the Government to tackle.

In performance and compliance, new homes and existing properties that are retrofitted are falling short of stated design standards.

The skills gap in housing design, construction and the installation of new technologies must be dealt with.

Existing homes must be low carbon and resilient to the changing climate. Retrofitting these should be supported by the Treasury.

All new homes should be built to be low carbon, energy and water efficient, and climate resilient.

And urgent funding gaps must be addressed, including finance for low carbon sources of heating and better resources for local authorities.