Improving the energy efficiency and reducing the carbon emissions of our nation’s homes is one of the major ways to hit the government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050, TrustMark CEO Simon Ayers has stressed.
TrustMark, the government endorsed scheme covering work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home, said the changes such as improving insulation and heating systems have an integral role.
Marking Energy Saving Week, he said: “The ever-growing awareness and concern over the climate change is a welcome one and the action to reduce plastic and bring pollution levels down are commonplace discussions around the dinner table. However, worryingly we are not thinking about the reduction of carbon in the same way and the damage that society is allowing to happen to the environment continues.
“Our housing stock generates a large percentage of our overall carbon output and every small action we take, as occupiers of homes, can build to deliver a major impact. Even turning down the heating by one degree, will make a difference.
“Around 80% of homes we will be using in 2050 are already standing, so the main focus should be on improving the ones we have through retrofitting. To put this into a recognisable number, to make a positive impact, we need to be improving about 17,000 homes per week starting now, to hit the government’s target.
“It’s a massive undertaking but one that needs to happen – housing efficiency is one of the major ways to reduce carbon and give us the best possible chance of meeting targets to help us reduce fuel poverty and make healthier homes.”