The way we build our homes and communities is changing. Richard Lankshear, Programme Director at the Future Homes Hub, outlines how the organisation is providing expertise on the major challenges surrounding carbon reduction and new homes.
In September 2020, the Future Homes Task Force was set up to develop a long-term delivery plan for the sector, in line with the Government's legally binding net zero and wider environmental targets. These are not targets that can be delivered alone and require a whole industry approach from homebuilders – both large developers and SMEs – designers, the supply chain and beyond. And that is why the Future Homes Hub was founded.
Our mission is to facilitate the collaboration across the housebuilding sector to deliver the climate and environmental targets for new homes as set out in the delivery plan. Through the Hub, the industry is sharing successes and lessons learned, opening up discussion, building expertise and strengthening those areas that are integral to the delivery of the roadmap.
Homes of the future
We know that the home of the future is thermally efficient, with electric services, mechanically ventilated, in places of enhanced biodiversity, built of low carbon materials and more water efficient. We know this because the path is set out through the climate change act, environment act and Task Force for Climate Related Disclosure, affecting the homes we live in, how they are built and the quality of the places around them.
And these changes are coming thick and fast. This year, the Government will begin consultation on the Future Homes Standard and will make biodiversity net gain mandatory. In addition to this, in January, it set out its 25-year environment improvement plan. While this change is significant and rapid, the new homes sector is leading the way with a viable roadmap with tangible objectives being met as set out in the delivery plan and facilitated through the Hub.
While our first year has been impactful – helping the implementation of the 2021 building regulations, producing guidance on the parts L, O and S, a Part O calculator, reports on supply chain and water efficiency – the big changes are yet to come.
Future Homes Standard
The Future Homes Standard will set the regulations to deliver zerocarbon- ready homes from 2025 and government will consult on the new Part L this year.
We brought together over 170 people from over 100 organisations at the end of last year, to inform the consultation by reviewing how to deliver the Standard at scale. We have submitted our report to help refine the 2025 Future Homes Standard (FHS) – carried out under a Terms of Reference set by the Department for Levelling up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) – that investigates the range of 'contender specifications' and how they perform at scale, taking account of all factors such as consumer, design, cost, planning, fabric, ventilation, heating, skills, manufacturing, maintenance and grid infrastructure.
Among 26 key recommendations, is the creation of an Implementation Board, bringing together policy makers, developers, the supply chain, skills providers, customer groups, consultants and infrastructure organisations to deliver the Standard. We will support the creation of this board with expert groups drawn from across our membership to help the sector's transition.
Whole-life carbon
While the FHS addresses operational carbon, the next major challenge is to reduce embodied and, hence whole-life carbon. We began the year with the publication of the sector's implementation plan for whole life carbon. Here, we found that the new homes sector is performing better than originally thought, but there is clearly a long way to go. The next steps are clear and, again, will need support from multiple parts of the sector.
Over the coming months we will work with the supply chain to obtain and maintain accurate default values of construction products. And developers have agreed to capture more data through voluntary reporting to enable sensible benchmarks that, ultimately, will lead to whole-life carbon targets for the sector.
Biodiversity net gain
For biodiversity net gain (BNG), the 10% uplift becomes mandatory in November 2023, meaning time is tight. Close dialogue is important here to resolve issues at speed, which is why we have a liaison group with key policy makers and agencies to help identify early any challenges and find means of resolving them. In addition, we continue to co-ordinate guidance, and produce our own to answer specific needs, as well as working with organisations to help smooth the process of trading BNG units.
The new homes sector is coming together to address a myriad of challenges and it is heartening to see the extent of its collaboration. Organisations are sharing their lessons learned and we are compiling a schedule of all tests and trials that are occurring (and have occurred) so that we can all benefit from the lessons that individual organisations are learning as we move to production of zero carbon ready homes.
Our roadmap and delivery plan shows the scale of the task ahead, but the goals are achievable. The network built up through the Hub is delivering tangible change and a change that is creating ever better homes and communities.
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