Summary: We will introduce a Future Homes Standard to ensure that new homes meet world-leading energy efficiency standards.
- Emissions from heating homes are the single largest contributing factor to the UK’s carbon footprint – accounting for 22 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. To improve the energy efficiency of homes and reduce emissions, we need to raise the requirements set out in the building regulations for new homes.
- That’s why we are introducing a Future Homes Standard by 2025 and interim measures by 2020, to ensure that new homes meet world-leading energy efficiency standards and are equipped with low-carbon heating systems.
- This action will significantly reduce CO 2 emissions so we protect our climate for future generations, while keeping energy bills low.
Background
- In March 2019, the Government committed to introducing a Future Homes Standard by 2025. We will now update the building regulations, defining these world-leading standards and setting out a roadmap for delivering on this commitment.
Our solution
- Updating building regulations to introduce a Future Homes Standard – a requirement that new homes should cut their CO 2 emissions by 78 per cent from 2025 through the introduction of low-carbon heating systems. This is would mean that England would have some of the highest energy standards internationally – leading the world in tackling climate change. In the short terms, we will consult on requiring homes to reduce their emissions by a third from 2020.
Conservative record
- We are ending the UK’s contribution to global warming by legislating to achieve net zero by 2050 – the first major economy to do so. We have upgraded the existing target of an 80 per cent reduction in emissions in the Climate Change Act to achieve 100 per cent, net zero emissions, by 2050.
Q: Will people need to get rid of their gas boilers or cookers?
No. This consultation is about new homes, not existing homes.
