Developers 'not ready' to meet net zero standards

New research conducted by members of The Housing Forum's Futures Network has revealed that the housing industry believes it is unlikely to meet the requirements set out in the government’s 2025 Future Homes and Buildings Standards.

The Housing Forum is made up of over 150 organisations, from both the public and private sectors, aiming to represent the entire housing supply chain. In total, members represent £24 billion turnover in the housing sector.

The latest study was carried out among senior industry figures attending a number of The Housing Forum’s 2022 events. This included a series of Decarbonisation Seminars, with a total of 91% of the respondents directly involved in ensuring their organisations meet decarbonisation targets.

It showed that one out of five say that their own organisation does not have a plan in place that will allow them to deliver homes that will meet 2025 emissions targets, while three out of four of those questioned believe the industry does not have requisite skills and knowledge to meet 2025 targets within the next 10 years.

The research was commissioned following the changes to Building Regulations which came into being in June 2022. This was as part of the pathway to meeting Future Homes and Building Standards in 2025 and net zero by 2050.

The government wants a greener built environment and believes the Future Homes and Buildings Standard in 2025 will mean all future homes are net zero ready.

However, before the 2022 changes came into force, The Federation of Master Builders had made clear that less than half of their members were ready for the new regulations.

Daniel Love, from Polypipe Building Products - a member of The Housing Forum’s Futures Network - said: “We were alarmed to see that so many senior figures do not think that the industry will meet the net zero challenge within the government’s time frame.

“The results of the survey also show a fundamental lack of understanding of the technologies that developers can adopt to meet their targets. There also seems to be a lack of urgency to increase that understanding and to begin preparations in earnest."

He added: “Developers need to engage with their supply chain to understand the new technologies and construction methods before the 2025 deadline in order for demand for new products and skills to be ready in time.

“The answer has to be an emphasis on engagement, upskilling and education.”