Improving The Efficiency of The UK’s Housing Stock

The UK has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Net zero means a country takes as many greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere as it puts in.

The UK has been relatively successful in cutting its emissions so far. But the government's independent advisers and the Climate Change Committee believe that the UK could miss its future targets.

Since 1990, the UK's carbon emissions from electricity generation have dropped by 75% as the usage of fossil fuels to produce electricity has declined and the use of renewable sources such as wind and solar had increased to around 40% (in 2010 only 7% of the UK’s electricity came from renewable sources).  As a country we have pledged that by 2035 all of our electricity will come from low carbon sources.

Despite the push for renewable energy, the government announced that it was granting 100 oil and gas production licence's for the North Sea, citing that it wants to reduce dependence on imported energy from hostile states.

The Climate Change Committee says investing in renewables would be a better way to reduce reliance on imports and reduce bills and is more in line with net zero.

Usage of  Buildings account for about 17% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to burning fossil fuels for heating.

The government has committed to installing 600,000 electric heat pumps a year by 2028 to replace gas boilers.

In 2022, around 70,000 heat pumps were installed in the UK, leaving the government's 600,000 target significantly off track.

In 2023, the Prime Minister increased grants to £7,500 to help homeowners in England and Wales install a heat pump. This has led to a surge in applications.

However, he also said around a fifth of homes would never by required to switch from a fossil fuel boiler.

This makes net zero by 2050 "considerably harder to achieve", the CCC warned.

The UK has some of the least energy-efficient homes in Europe. Insulation is one of the most effective ways to reduce emissions from housing, by reducing the energy needed for heating.

The government has introduced the Great British Insulation Scheme to help insulate around 300,000 of the poorest-performing homes.

With 80% of 2050’s homes already built, achieving net zero by that date means retrofit projects will play a vital role in decarbonisation.

To meet targets and provide necessary improvements to properties to reduce their dependence on energy, in turn also saving money, it is important informed decisions are made.

This can be achieved by employing professionals to survey properties to establish how improvements can be made to reduce heating demands and incorporate renewables.  They can appraise existing insulation, use thermal imaging, test for air leakage and also appraise suitability of different approaches for your buildings.

Infrared thermal imaging can uncover a wide range of energy efficiency issues, including previously undetected uninsulated or partially insulated cavities, waterproofing problems and insulation defects – and does so without causing damage to the building. As a result, thermal imaging delivers the accurate data needed when deploying energy-efficient solutions at scale and speed, ensuring professionals can make decisions based on facts.