Green Housing Revolution

solar power

The built environment contributes around 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. UKGBC

Although Michael Gove has taken over the role this year, as the secretary of state for housing, it was revealed by Robert Jenrick that the department had plans for a “green housing revolution“. A new green standard for new homes means fossil fuel heating systems – like gas boilers – will be replaced with clean technologies. By 2025, all new properties being built will need to instead use air source heat pumps, solar panels and triple glazing, among other technologies, to reduce emissions from the home. This is currently going through parliament and it is expected, that Michael Gove, especially with his past experience as environment secretary, will be championing this standard.

The Ministry for Housing estimates the price of meeting the new standards for new developments will be around £4,487 for a house and £2,256 for a flat. This is of course an intrinsic building cost and as such, is to be borne by the developer. It is however our opinion that people are becoming increasingly interested in a property’s green credentials and those that can boast a true green ethos are likely to be the deciding factor when the buyer is weighing up two comparable new-build homes.

 

Home Page I Make your Move with Whatley Lane I

Advice for Landlords

From a landlords perspective, there are moves to enforce a compulsory energy performance certificate rating of ‘C’ on new tenancies by December 2025, and this extends further to apply to all rented properties by December 2028. This is a considerable element to all landlords and one that is currently viewed by professionals to have a cost implication of around £10k to get an average property from band E to band C.

At present around 67 per cent of private rented properties in England and Wales are below a ‘C’.

The name of the bill – Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, is currently making its way through parliament, it is too early for any hard and fast advice to be provided at this point, however, it seems highly likely that this bill will be passed through parliament and also, it is expected that there will be some form of grant or incentive provided by the government to support the works necessary to achieve this upgrade in efficiency standard.

In terms of achieving an EPC rating of C or higher the main points of consideration are:

  1. The windows – this always a difficult consideration for those with character properties or those in conservation areas – we would suggest keeping abreast with Historic England in so far as possible – the legislative guidance has been to preserve those properties that are listed or of heritage value – this may of course be added to in the run-up to the 2050 net zero targets. If however, you are able to install double glazing – the key is to ensure a reputable company and installer and to ensure that you get the necessary guarantees and certification to the performance.
  2. Insultating your home – probably the most costly consideration of most homes – we suggest you visit this like for specialist advice 

https://youtu.be/1wjsKWQcv50
  • New boiler – if you were considering the new boiler it may actually be worth holding off until the new legislation is indeed passed through parliament – however a good link to keep you up to date on the latest energy efficient boilers
  • Alternative and renewable energy sources – heat pumps, solar and biomass being the most accessible visit this page for more specialist advice – We would also prompt you to take a look at the Tesla powerwall, this is a home battery capable of storing your solar energy and then feeds back to power your home. It is capable of powering a domestic home and also to provide a back-up to your National Grid power source.
  • LED lightbulbs – you will be surprised about how much this simple switch will do for your performance!
  • Energy efficient appliances – time to get in on the new white goods and opt for the highest rating you can.
  • Draft exclusions and sealing things such as chimneys are also good ideas – if you are an owner of an older property – we would recommend getting a specialist to assess your property – it is likely that there will need to be a recommendation provided that will serve to keep the property well ventilated and free from damp whilst also allowing an increased efficiency by draft exclusion.

 

It all needs to be certified! There is an absolute requirement to have proof and paperwork.

 

This link is useful into making your home more efficient – from British Gas –

 

We also found this link – showcasing some of the greenest new homes developments in the UK during 2020 –

 

Our Sustainability Pledge

 

Property consumes 40 per cent of the world’s energy and contributes to 30 per cent of global annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.[1] At the same time, 82,000 acres of forests disappear from the earth every day.[2] There are a variety of contributing factors, and humans are one of them.
For each sale and letting successfully completed, we cover the cost of tree planting by contributing part of our commission to worldwide reforestation projects through our impact partner: Ecologi.

 

  1. United Nations (UN), ‘Sustainable Real Estate Investment’ (2016) 2.Global Forest Watch (GFW) & University of Maryland (2020)

 

This article was correct at the time of writing – please check our posts for regular updates.

 

For help in getting your property ready for sale, or to enquire about our managed property options, please contact our experienced sales teams in Newmarket on 01638 561187 or Bury St Edmunds on 01284 765256.