The race towards a net zero life is on –
Despite the cost, it’s time to start thinking about how to make our homes energy efficient, says Lucy Foster
Here’s some food for thought: the Government is to ban all gas boiler installations by 2035. As of 2030, it will be illegal to buy a new petrol or diesel car. Mortgage companies are increasingly disinclined to lend against homes below the EPC (energy performance certificate) rating of C. And the big plan at the moment is for all 28 million UK homes to reach net zero standard – that’s balancing greenhouse gas removal with greenhouse gas emissions – by 2050. But even big plans can change, and rumour has it that the Government’s net zero tsar, Chris Skidmore, is looking to expedite matters, pushing for more ambitious targets with shorter lead times.
So are you looking at your two petrol cars, gas boiler, 20-year-old windows and badly fitted catflap and starting to panic? You won’t be alone. The pressure is undeniably on, and anyone who thinks they can just mail order a heat pump in December 2034 isn’t paying
Anyone who thinks they can just mail order a heat pump in 2034 isn’t paying attention
attention. The UK has some of the most poorly performing housing stock in Europe in terms of energy efficiency, and the average cost to remedy this situation is around £30,000 per home (with big margins either way depending on house size, age and general maintenance). In an unholy tangle of the cost of living crisis, stagnant wages and falling house prices, it’s hard to see where any of this money will come from, and yet the deadlines are not going to loosen – quite the opposite, in fact. While the middle classes may not be able to afford to go net zero, really, they’ve got little choice.
“There’s an opportunity here for us all to start the work and access the finance, and we’ve got to take it,” says Lynne Sullivan, architect and founder of LSA Studios and chair of the newly launched advice service National Retrofit Hub. “Because there’s no way the Government is going to give us all £20,000 to do our houses.” It’s a startling admission but she’s not wrong. We are all going to have to fund our own domestic decarbonisation, and the shortterm expense (but potentially long-term gain) depends on precisely how deeply we wish to retrofit. So, want to know the average costs for a net zero home? Read on and buckle up.