CIAT launches plan to future-proof UK homes

Across 25 recommendations, the paper lays out a comprehensive, deliverable plan for Government, building on the Warm Homes Plan, utilising grants and low interest loans to expand access to retrofit measures. Recommendations from the Report include combining the numerous separate funding pots and support schemes for home energy efficiency improvements into a single, streamlined Programme, removing VAT on retrofit measures, providing “home instruction manuals” to support households to get the best performance from new, energy efficient systems, and implementing a lower rate of stamp duty for the most energy efficient homes.

President, Eddie Weir PCIAT, said:

Everyone deserves a healthy, safe home. But too many homes in this country are poor quality, excessively cold in winter and hot in summer. This poor housing contributes to ill health, costing the NHS around £2.5 billion per year. Housing is also a key contributor to climate change, with residential building responsible for 12% of UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2023.   

By tackling these challenges in a coordinated way, government has the opportunity to deliver profound benefits to households, boost productivity, and provide high-quality, well-paid jobs right across the country.  

And, by abolishing VAT on retrofit measures, and lowering Stamp Duty for the best performing homes, government can create a commercial market for healthy, sustainable homes over the long term.  

Chair of the CIAT Climate Society, Chris Halligan MCIAT, said:

The UK Climate Change Committee has made it clear that we need to rapidly decarbonise our homes over the next two decades, in order to achieve Net Zero by 2050, as part of global efforts to limit warming. But more than that, our homes need to be resilient to the climatic changes we are already living through.  

The good news is, we already have the technology to deliver such a transformation in our homes. Technologies such as air source heat pumps are now tried and tested, including in cold countries such as Norway.  

This plan provides a blueprint for Government to accelerate the roll-out of these measures, so that everyone can benefit from them.

The full report can be read here. A Summary of the key recommendations can be found here.

CIAT will be sharing this report with Government and parliamentarians, as part of our ongoing advocacy work. If you would like to support this work, please contact [email protected]