High costs of meeting energy targets revealed
ALMOST every home-owner in Plymouth will be required to replace their boiler by 2030 and install energy-efficient technology costing up to £40,000, a major conference has heard.
Plymouth City Council said it is hoping the Government will step in and provide funding to help people make the change – but this is likely to be means tested, with only the poorest families receiving a 100% grant.
The Future Homes Plymouth symposium, at the University of Plymouth, heard how the Government is demanding a green revolution which will see houses emit less carbon dioxide. While this means new homes being built to exacting environmental standards, it also means the retrofitting of thousands of existing properties – the main focus of the conference.
Alistair Macpherson, chief executive of Plymouth Energy Community, said householders were likely to have to carry out work to their homes which would be “complicated, invasive and expensive”.
He said: “To get to net zero, it means 24 million homes in the UK will need retrofitting – that’s 99% of every home in Plymouth.” The conference, attended by more than 100 representatives from the city’s construction industry, also heard that the work would provide a major payday for the industry.
However, it would have to ensure its engineers and other professionals are fully trained and joined by new recruits.
“It’s a huge challenge, but a massive business opportunity,” Mr Macpherson said. He left it in no doubt that the work would be expensive and added: “There are lots of figures being bandied about, but an average of £20,000 to £40,000 per home. The estimates vary massively.
“That’s not going to come from the pockets of every individual home in Plymouth, so substantial amounts of Government help will be needed. We are beginning to see that, but at the moment that programme is targeted at the fuel poor, who might get 100%. But in future it will be means-tested and there will be some kind of way where people are putting their own money into it.”
Paul Barnard, service director of strategic planning and infrastructure at Plymouth City Council, said housing, alongside transport, was on the front line in the battle to hit legally binding carbon reduction targets. He said: “Retrofitting will be crucial. That’s mainly ground-source heat pumps, air-source heat pumps and insulation for homes, and the installation of renewable energy sources such as solar panels.”
He said Plymouth City Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019 and has already invested more than £50 million into tackling climate issues. He said tackling fuel poverty, and the costs of energy, are also a significant goal.
Retrofitting is key on the agenda, and Mr Barnard said that will require the Government to supply cash. He said: “Housing is a significant generator of carbon emissions and to get to net zero by 2030 we have to tackle retrofit. We will need a change in Government policy and resources from the Government to tackle that. There is a significant capital cost. We are very conscious we can’t passport all costs to individual households.”
Mr Barnard said that already 62% of Plymouth homes – about 72,000 buildings – are below the required EPC (energy performance certificate) rating. He said: “That means they will be insufficiently heated and losing heat and contributing to carbon emissions.”
Mr Barnard said some better-off households are already switching to green technology “because they have personal resources”, but he said his personal view was that the Government should fund local authorities so they can help with ensuring the targets are hit.
He said the changes would also bring challenges, as well as opportunities, for the construction industry. He said: “We need engineers and installers for heat pumps and solar panels – and not for boilers.”
The conference was organised by Building Plymouth and Plymouth Energy Community, with backing from the University of Plymouth’s Sustainable Earth Institute, Low Carbon Devon, Plymouth City Council’s Housing Delivery Team, RIBA, Livewest, CobBauge Project, Evolve, Carbon Saving Group, Barratts Developments Plc, Vistry Partnerships and Persimmon.