Bukky Bird, Group Sustainability Director, Barratt Developments explores sustainability in the housebuilding sector
Modern new homes are already around two-thirds more efficient than older properties, saving residents thousands of pounds a year in utility bills.
With new builds coming in at an EPC rating of A or B, the average four-bed home costs around £900 a year in energy costs, compared to £2,900 for a similar older home, based on the new energy cap level, according to figures modelled by Barratt Developments.
It isn’t just energy efficiency that we are focused on, but also things like reducing water usage and improving biodiversity. Our homes typically use 26% less water than average, reducing bills further. We have also committed to achieving a 10% biodiversity net gain on our developments from January next year.
While many in the housebuilding sector have been taking steps to benefit consumers, whilst also protecting the environment, Barratt are about to embark on the biggest change in how we operate since the Second World War. In fact, housebuilders will be among the first to take the next step and be net zero within the next few years.
Along the way we need to understand what technology works, what consumers want, how it will be paid for, how we ensure that the supply chain is in place to deliver at the scale necessary, and crucially, where regulation is going.
Net zero carbon needs clear direction
Zero carbon homes are not new, there are many examples around the country, but building zero homes at the scale required – for instance the 243,000 homes built over the last year – is complex and cannot be achieved by a single organisation or business. The whole sector, from product manufacturers, utility companies, environmental bodies, house builders large and small and, of course, Government, will have to work collectively.
We are fortunate at Barratt to have specialist teams working on sustainability, but that’s not the case for all housebuilders, particularly those smaller businesses across the country. We hope that sharing our approach will help everyone in the industry become greener and build sustainable homes and communities…
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