Households will be able to receive expert, targeted help to reduce their fuel bills and access low-carbon heat and power in their homes, under an ambitious long-term Heat and Energy Saving strategy.
The Government's draft plan sets out the need to reduce household carbon emissions to almost zero, in order for the UK to achieve its ambitious target of an 80% cut in emissions by 2050. By 2030, the aim is for whole-house improvements to be available to householders in every home, in every street.
The plan, which was published by Ministers for consultation, includes proposals for improving the quality and widening the availability of information and advice, new finance packages and options for the delivery system of energy efficient and low carbon improvements.
Key proposals include:
Calls for more subsidies for energy efficient homes and efforts to focus on improving and growing existing towns and cities were raised during the HCA Academy's online debate on low carbon communities.
The first in a series of debates sparked lively discussion on the reality of creating low carbon communities. Over 70 people from across the sector contributed to the debate around leading issues - including locality, community engagement, connectivity, old versus new and low carbon or no carbon.
There was strong consensus that we should focus on improving the green credentials and increasing the density of towns and cities, rather than creating new isolated towns away from existing infrastructure like transport links.
Many believe subsidies should be increased and made widely available to encourage more homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
Throughout the debate, participants centered on the need for:
The debate provided a platform to launch a new research report that looks at lessons learned from international case studies, providing further insight into the latest issues and skills implications for low carbon developments.
A series of online films supported the debate. They focused on:
The debate coincided with a home insulation feature on the BBC's Politics Show that focused on Kirklees Council's Warm Zone - a groundbreaking initiative that offers free cavity wall and roof insulation to all.
A unique demonstration of sustainable building techniques by the Larkfleet Group was nearing completion on land adjacent to its headquarters in Bourne.
The timber-framed building will never be fully completed but will show how a three-bedroom house can be built to the requirements of Level 3 and Level 4 of the Government's Code for Sustainable Homes.
Key parts of the structure will be left unfinished to show how it is possible to combine different building techniques and technologies to meet demanding environmental standards without excessive cost. Parts of the internal walls, some of the floors and ceilings and other parts of the building will be omitted so that visitors can see how a timber frame house is put together and the way insulation is installed.
The house will also be fitted with water-saving and energy-saving technologies - such as rain water harvesting, ground source heat pumps and solar panels.
Government regulations mean that all new houses being built for local councils and housing associations must now meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes - standards which make the homes cheaper to run and reduce their impact on the environment.
Work on the demonstration house is now nearly complete and, once the finishing touches have been added over the next few days, Larkfleet will use the part-built home as a working demonstration unit.
The company plans to invite housing association operatives, architects, local authority personnel and other professionals to take a look at the way the house is built and see how the latest building and energy technologies can be combined to provide low-energy housing.