The Build Net Zero Now campaign is calling for urgent action from housebuilding industry. Richard Broad, projects and communications manager of the Good Homes Alliance, discusses its progress
The Build Net Zero Now campaign, led by the Good Homes Alliance, aims to empower progressive local authorities, housing associations and housebuilders, and their supply chains, by providing them with the knowledge and tools to deliver net zero housing.
Phase one of the campaign concluded at the GHA conference in October 2021, following a year-long series of topical events on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), embodied carbon and green finance, and the publication of new and freely available case studies and design briefs.
At the opening conference session, there was an inspiring talk from Julie James MS, minister for climate change in the Welsh Government, which has been leading the way in terms of new building housing standards in the UK.
“In Wales we are happy to be at the vanguard, rather than waiting for others to do the heavy lifting for us. We have made a start, we may not know all the answers, and we certainly won’t get everything right. But our low carbon housing journey has begun, and we are really happy to keep testing, learning and sharing,” she said.
This ethos is shared by the Good Homes Alliance and the progressive members within their collaborative networks. The GHA is all about sharing knowledge, best practice and lessons learned, both positive and negative. Why reinvent the wheel when there are exemplar case studies and viable solutions already out there?
The challenge is scaling up and ensuring quality does not diminish. Certified standards such as Passivhaus are part of the solution but there are other factors to consider. The performance gap must be reduced for energy, water consumption, occupant wellbeing, indoor air quality and more!
How can the industry call to action?
GHA members are leading the way. Greencore Construction has partnered with M&G to roll out its offsite manufactured “climate positive” homes across the country, with £500m to be invested over the next three to five years. Greencore’s floor and roof cassettes, with hemp-lime insulation and roof lights fitted, are manufactured in the factory to speed up construction and deliver high quality standards.
“With this investment, Greencore can scale to have a transformational impact on sustainable housebuilding standards in this country. The built environment is one of the biggest emitters of carbon, both in construction and occupation, but we’ve shown it doesn’t have to be this way. Our homes are sustainable to build and sustainable to live in, which is becoming more important than ever as energy prices continue to spiral,” said Ian Pritchett, managing director of Greencore Construction.
SNRG is working with developer St Modwen to develop 350 new all-electric homes powered by a smart grid on the historic MG Rover site in Birmingham. Centrica-backed SNRG offer customers a ‘one-stop-shop’ for smart grid solutions comprising grid connections, distribution networks, batteries, heat pumps, solar PV panels and community EV charging.
SNRG’s optimisation technology combined with an integrated approach – design, fund, build & operate – maximises carbon emissions reduction and cost savings for customers.
“By introducing carbon-negative homes and smart-grid powered developments…we’re proving that greener homes can be delivered at commercial scale,” said Sarwjit Sambhi, CEO of St Modwen.
The industry needs to accelerate net zero housing
Despite the success of the first phase of the campaign, the need to accelerate the delivery of net zero housing is more urgent than ever. Build Net Zero Now continues with renewed vigour.
With support from Velux , the Sustainable Development Foundation, the Ecology Building Society, SNRG and Passivhaus Trust, new working groups have been launched on net zero energy, finance and planning, placemaking and design, and tasked with delivering vital resources for the industry. Outputs will include guidance on energy solutions and smart tech, a database of net zero planning policies, exemplar case studies, and a ‘mini-manifesto’ on how the finance industry can accelerate the transition to net zero.
The working groups are open to invited experts and 80+ GHA members from across the sector, including 30+ progressive local authorities and housing associations from across the UK, who collectively represent over 350,000 existing homes and 120,000 new build homes to be developed in the next 10 years. Building upon the successes of our social housing networks, a new network has recently launched for forward-thinking SME developers and housebuilders that are striving to deliver quality, net zero housing.
If like the GHA, you believe industry can Build Net Zero Now, join the Good Homes Alliance and support the campaign today.
Richard Broad
Projects and communications manager
Good Homes Alliance
Tel: +44 (0)330 355 6275
