The future is retro-fit

As the owner of a modest Victorian terraced house in East London, I'm a lucky thirty something who has a foot on the property ladder. When you have friends struggling to get a mortgage you need to appreciate how lucky you are, but as a homeowner I do have some problems of my own as well. The bills seem to be going through the roof and the house will need further investment, including improving the glazing, replacing the boiler, and maybe getting a solar panel or two.

Of course, I'm no exception to the millions of homeowners around the country, and herein lies the big problem for the policy makers in Westminster. Homes contribute over a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions and until we can point to a significant drop in these emissions, we will most definitely fail to meet our long-term carbon reduction targets.

70% of all homes are privately owned - the vast majority of which are highly inefficient in terms of energy use and will still be around for many, many years. In the current climate of people tightening their belts, we need strong political leadership and long-term thinking in order to drive carbon reduction strategies through our existing housing stock.

The latest special publication from Green Futures, The Future is Retro-Fit, outlines the challenge we face, and ways in which it can be overcome. It won't happen overnight, and it will require political will, improved skills and capacity within the building trades, better incentives to technology providers, and economies of scale. It will require fresh perspectives and innovative partnerships within both the public and private sectors, but it can be done. The responsible refurbishment and retrofitting of our homes over the next decade or so could see significant environmental and economic benefits at the national, local and individual level. Download your copy of The Future is Retro-Fit here.