The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is warning that the UK homes are unfit for the challenges of climate change, including flooding and water scarcity and says the UK’s legally-binding climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings.

In a new report ‘UK housing: Fit for the future?’ the CCC says that emissions reductions from the UK’s 29 million homes have stalled, while energy use in homes – which accounts for 14% of total UK emissions – increased between 2016 and 2017.

The CCC is calling on the Government to act now to improve the quality of UK homes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to safeguard comfort, health and wellbeing as the climate changes.

The report finds that efforts to adapt the UK’s housing stock to the impacts of the changing climate: for higher average temperatures, flooding and water scarcity, are lagging far behind what is needed even as the climate change risks grow.

Around 4.5 million homes overheat, even in cool summers; 1.8 million people live in areas at significant risk of flooding; and average UK water consumption is higher than in many other European countries. Cost-effective measures to adapt the UK housing stock are not being rolled-out at anywhere near the required level, the report finds.

According to the Committee, technology and knowledge to create high quality, low-carbon and resilient homes exists, but current policies and standards are failing to drive either the scale or the pace of change needed on issues which include:

• home insulation installations have stalled
• key policies, like the ‘zero carbon homes’ scheme, have been weakened or withdrawn
• policies to encourage property-level flood protection. water efficiency devices and window shading are weak or non-existent
• UK building standards are inadequate, overly complex and not enforced
• local authorities, faced with insufficient resources, are largely failing to address the need for low-emission, climate change resilient homes.

The CCC says that over the coming months, there are opportunities to put these things right. The report identifies five priorities for Government action. Click here to read the report.