The FMB has commissioned high quality, though provoking independent research which we hope will encourage government and opinion formers to develop policies that will help promote greener and more energy efficient homes.
Housing Futures: Our Homes and Communities
Published: June 2010
Authors: Professor Anne Power and Laura Lane at the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics
Summary: The report examines the four big pressures – supply and affordability of homes; environmental limits; social cohesion; and economic change - driving the future of
housing policy in the UK. It reveals that reusing small empty sites of up to two hectares could more than meet the UK’s housing demand without building on green field land. If we make our existing homes greener and more energy efficient, the research found that the building industry had enough work in this field to keep every small and medium sized builder running to stay on top for the next 30 years. The retrofitting market for small builders offers, the report says, ‘a very rosy future painted green’, as homeowners realize the savings that could be made through making their homes more energy efficient. To capitalize on this growth market, the report calls for higher standards within the building industry, particularly the 200,000 Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) which make up 99 percent of building industry. The introduction of a ‘Code for Sustainable Existing Homes’ would drive up the energy efficiency standards of our existing homes and conversions. Accreditation and Competent Person Schemes would also enhance the status of the building industry, as long as they are linked to real experience and hands-on training.
Building a Greener Britain: Transforming the UK's existing Housing Stock
Published: June 2008
Author: Gavin Killip of the Environmental Change Institute of the University of Oxford
Summary: The report reveals that building firms, product manufacturers and suppliers could stand to tap into a new market worth between £3.5 and £6.5 billion per year if the UK developed policies, skills programmes, and financial incentives to upgrade our existing housing stock to make it greener and more energy efficient. The report argues that what is urgently needed to create this new market to upgrade Britain’s housing stock is a clear policy signal from government to start a process of in innovation, skills development, and capacity building in the construction industry.
