Countdown to COP26: Barbara McFarlane and Suzy Nelson

Insulate Britain with a national retrofit programme

Barbara McFarlane, partner at The McFarlane Partnership, and lecturer Suzy Nelson; both members of the Architect’s Climate Action Network

The campaign group Insulate Britain is highlighting the need for a comprehensive programme to retrofit UK homes to achieve the goal of net zero carbon emissions.

While some may question its tactics, few can disagree with the objective. We have among the oldest and least energy-efficient homes in Europe, and almost 20% of UK carbon emissions come from energy used in homes.

Without a mass programme to improve the insulation of our homes and to switch to low-carbon heating, we cannot reach net zero. And despite government rhetoric about tackling climate change, we have only had half-hearted botched programmes like the failed Green Homes Grant. In the Architect’s Climate Action Network, we are trying to inform the wider public about the need for urgent action to retrofit our homes with our campaignHouseholders Declare.

The RIBA pointed out in its recent report on the climate and ecological emergency that, even if all current Paris agreement climate pledges are met, global temperatures will still rise about 2.4°C by the end of the century. To avert climate disaster, we urgently need public investment to build up the capacity to deliver improvements on the scale needed.

The industry must come together to campaign for a comprehensive government-supported programme to decarbonise our homes. There is a growing consensus: theRIBA, theRICS, theNew Economics Foundation, theConstruction Leadership Counciland theFederation of Master Buildershave all produced reports making the case for a national retrofit programme.

虽然所需的公共投资规模相当大，但我们的政府在认识到危机时能够找到资源。根据英国政府研究所(Institute of Government)的数据，在2020/21年流感大流行的背景下，英国额外借入了3390亿英镑。此外，提高住宅的能源效率还能带来气候之外的好处:建筑领导委员会(Construction Leadership Council)估计，一项改造计划将创造50万个技术性工作岗位，而温暖的住宅将通过防止冬季过度死亡，减少对NHS (NHS)的需求，冬季过度死亡每年要花费14亿英镑。

We need to campaign for long-term public investment in a retrofit programme, which will ensure all homes are energy-efficient and not dependent on fossil fuels. The programme should be front-loaded to kickstart the supply chain and prioritise the homes of people suffering fuel poverty.

应设立一个国家工作队来指导该方案，并设立区域中心来监督执行情况。在培训专业人员和商人方面的大量投资是必不可少的。与此同时，需要强有力的消费者保护，以及加强建筑法规，提高绝缘标准和保障措施，以防止火灾和潮湿损害的风险。