An opinion piece by Richard Broad, Projects & Communications Manager, Good Homes Alliance

Our Build Net Zero Now campaign 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 our conference in October 2021, following a year-long series of topical events on MMC, embodied carbon and green finance, and the publication of new and freely available case studies and design briefs. At our opening conference session, we heard an inspiring talk from Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change at the Welsh Government, who have 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.” – Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change, Welsh Government

This ethos is shared by the Good Homes Alliance and the progressive members within our collaborative networks. At the GHA, we are 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. We must eliminate the ‘performance gap’ for energy, water consumption, occupant wellbeing, indoor air quality, and more!

Industry action

GHA members are leading the way. Greencore Construction has partnered with M&G to roll out their ‘climate positive’ homes across the country, with £500m to be invested over the next 3-5 years.

“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.” – Ian Pritchett, Managing Director, Greencore Construction

Bioregional is supporting the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service – one of the largest planning services in the East of England, operating in one of the fastest-growing economies in the UK – to adapt its Local Plan to achieve its Net Zero Carbon 2050 goal.

“Greater Cambridge is committed to turning its Climate Emergency declaration into tangible carbon-reduction actions. With time quickly running out to address the issue, we will be setting out a route map to net-zero carbon.” – Ronan Leyden, Head of Sustainable Places, Bioregional

Sovereign Housing Association, the largest housing association in the south outside of London, has launched a Homes and Place Standard, a new quality benchmark for every property it owns and for the communities where its customers live.

“The new standard will ensure homes that are built to last, are adaptable, sustainable, and enjoyable to live in. The standard will be applied to every home we own, helping us decide where to regenerate or rebuild. By assessing our homes against this standard, we will help our customers move towards zero carbon, reduce energy and water use and save money.” – Tom Titherington, Executive Director Development and Commercial, Sovereign

The time is now

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, Sustainable Development Foundation, Ecology Building Society, SNRG and Passivhaus Trust, new working groups have been launched on net zero energy, finance, and planning, placemaking & 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 us, you believe industry can “Build Net Zero Now”, support our campaign today