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Small businesses, manufacturers and designers are now being called upon to come up with innovative ideas for new low carbon age-friendly homes in a new competition, intended to attract the best talent in the housing industry and design the homes of the future.
Energy efficiency is being placed at the forefront of new home design, important given that houses are responsible for 25 per cent of all carbon emissions in the UK. It is also eager to seek out the very highest standards of age-adaptable design, so that people can continue to live independent and fulfilling lives as they age.
Applicants can submit outline designs for properties that have a low environmental impact, are age-friendly and inclusive, prioritise healthy living through the promotion of better health and wellbeing (such as green spaces and communal areas), and which are deliverable and scalable.
Over ten million people in the UK now can expect to celebrate their 100th birthday, in comparison to the 15,000 current centenarians. As part of its modern Industrial Strategy, the government has committed to making sure that people are able to enjoy at least five extra years of living independently by 2035.
Making the announcement, housing minister Christopher Pincher said: “This competition will harness all that technology has to offer to bring in a housing revolution: new low carbon homes that deliver low energy bills and independent living for older generations.
“The new gold standard of building will have the future in mind – not just in the UK, but worldwide.”
Kwasi Kwarteng, minister for clean growth and energy made further comments, saying that the government is also going to be investing more than £6 billion to retrofit existing homes with energy efficiency in mind. Plans are also in place to go further in the decarbonisation of buildings, with low carbon heating essential for this.
The BBC has just revealed, however, that almost two-thirds of homes in the UK fail to meet long-term energy efficiency targets, with over 12 million properties falling below the C grade on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs – graded A to G).
The news source analysed data and found that householders are spending more on their energy bills and emitting tonnes more CO2 than necessary. EPCs measure how efficient a house is by looking at how well it is glazed and insulated, as well as whether or not it features any alternative measures to drive down energy use.
A target had been set in place to upgrade as many properties as possible to Grade C by 2035, while all fuel-poor households and as many rentals as possible hit the same standard by 2030 – but critics say that moves in this direction have stalled.
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