The road to zero carbon was never going to be straightforward. That isn't because it's unachievable - it is; but if we are to meet the Government's targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, then we need to right some wrongs, and this is especially true within the construction and housing sectors. The focus needs to somewhat shift from future innovations on new buildings, to addressing the myriad of missed opportunities to future proof existing stock. We are all in agreement that any new residential and commercial buildings should be zero carbon moving forward and the industry is well on its way to ensuring this is the case. But new homes only account for 1-2% of total housing stock and 80% of the homes of 2050 are already in existence. Existing UK households actually account for more than a quarter of the entire UK CO2 emission and more than half of the market has a rating of EPC D or less; so, to achieve such a massive reduction by 2050, radical steps must be undertaken and our sector has to rethink its approach - moving beyond the new and making considerations for the current supply.
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