The increase in people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic risks a housing emissions crisis unless the government takes urgent action, says the Royal Institute of British Architects.
The Greener Homes report, released today by the Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA), warned the UK will see a dramatic increase in the proportion of total emissions from housing as more people work from their homes rather than offices.
Energy efficiency must be upgraded
UK housing stock is among the least energy efficient in Europe said the report. Nearly a fifth of the country's carbon emissions came from the residential sector in 2019, up from 15 per cent in 2008.
RIBA's called for the UK government to bring forward a National Retrofit Strategy ? a long-term policy and investment programme that would help upgrade the energy efficiency of UK housing. Among the measures it suggests is a sliding scale of stamp duty ? a tax you pay when you buy a property or piece of land ? which would be capped at £25,000 pounds and see the most energy-efficient homes accrue less tax than the least.
Retrofit funds should be released now
The report recommended that the UK government front-loads the £9.2 billion it has earmarked for energy efficiency improvements over the next decade and instead spends it under this government.
RIBA also called for better targeting of income support payments such as the winter fuel payment, stronger standards for new homes, and a clear long-term timeline f...