Context
Residential homes account for around 20% of CO2 emissions in the UK. This is largely because the housing stock in the UK is so old. More than a third (35.6%) of our housing stock predates WWII. Of the 29 million homes, 19 million have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or below. Energy efficiency in the home is a big problem – it’s harming the planet and people’s pockets. 

Aim
We can’t afford to be complacent about the climate change challenge in front of us. Our homes will need to be more energy-efficient, smarter and more flexible in order to secure a sustainable future.

As the regulatory landscape shifts, and the cost-of-living crisis is front and centre, the home moving industry will need to be better informed on its role in improving energy efficiency in housing. It’s more important than ever that we put impact front and centre of home buying and selling. The Home Buying and Selling Group (HBSG) has created a Sustainability Working Group to enhance collaborative working across the residential property sector and tackle climate change together.

The cross-sector sustainability group aims to:

1. Educate and inform consumers and industry to improve energy efficiency in homes
2. Set the standard for industry-wide collaboration to cut through the complexity of the issues at hand
3. Drive change and champion innovation within the policy- maker landscape

What have we done so far:
The group was set up in April 2022 and includes industry participants with a keen interest on addressing sustainability. We have held a few engaging meetings attended by representatives from Lenders, Brokers, Surveying, Professional/ trade bodies, Proptech, Legal etc. and captured insight across the sector.

The work of the group so far:

• Working Group launched in April, first meeting held in May 2022
• Survey launched and shared with the HBSG community
• Strategy pack for the group shared with HBSG members
• Consultation and collaboration tracker created

Outcomes:
Key themes emerged from the industry survey:

• Collaboration is needed across the entire Industry
• We need to create consistency and clarity for all (e.g. a good practice charter)
• We have an opportunity to become a trusted voice and a force for good in the national conversation about energy efficiency in the home
• We should walk the walk (consider an industry commitment to carbon reduction)
• Consumer awareness is low: let’s dial it up with a hard-working consumer education programme
• Engage with policy-makers on all of this, regularly and consistently.

The group will reconvene in 2023 and aim to address these themes and:

• Develop clear actions for the WG in supporting and influencing industry and policy-makers to drive positive change
• Develop a ‘good practice’ charter for the industry outlining our clear long term HBSG commitments for industry to minimise negative environmental and social impact
• Develop a communications plan including press pack, joint key messaging and PR & social executional activities to amplify our united voices and enhance education
• Develop a measurement methodology to monitor progress and success of the working group.

For any queries, please contact the Sustainability Group using the form below.