Making Historic Buildings Energy Efficient Could Reduce Carbon Emissions by 5%

HISTORIC BUILDINGS can help tackle the climate crisis and save 5% of UK building carbon emissions, according to one of the world’s largest property businesses, Grosvenor.

Making all listed buildings plus unlisted historic dwellings in conservation areas energy efficient would result in the reduction in UK carbon emissions from buildings.

Five months before world leaders gather for COP26, Grosvenor is calling for major changes to planning policy, aligning heritage protection with environmental sustainability to help the UK meet its net zero carbon goals.

Heritage and Carbon

The report, Heritage & Carbon argues for a decisive reformulation of planning policy. It was produced with a group of consultative partners including the National Trust, Historic England, Peabody, Southern Housing Group and The Crown Estate, and written with Donald Insall Associates.

Around 500,000 buildings in England alone are protected by statutory listing and hundreds of thousands more are situated in conservation areas. They cover many building types from stately homes to public buildings, terraced streets and blocks of social housing.

The potential carbon savings from making these buildings more energy efficient could be vast, Grosvenor says. A study commissioned by the company estimates that fabric improvements to the buildings could deliver operational carbon savings equivalent to 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions associated with all buildings in 2019.

However, Grosvenor warns that “Policy that is inconsistent and inconsistently applied, fragmented guidance and a skills gap offer little help to building owners”.

It says that a substantial percentage of UK building stock is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and prevented from contributing to the Government’s net zero aims.

Grosvenor argues that Government should commit to aligning heritage protection and environmental sustainability much more closely in the National Planning Policy Framework. It should include policies for carbon reduction in all heritage assets.

Policies should be combined with funding to retrofit historic buildings, as well as equalisation of VAT on alterations and repairs with those for new build, an overhaul of Energy Performance Certificates and support for expert guidance and training. This would act as a powerful stimulus to the green economy and help protect a crucial part of our common heritage, says Grosvenor.

Tor Burrows, Executive Director, Sustainability and Innovation, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland and a COP26 Built Environment Ambassador said: “The UK is a world leader in heritage protection. Time and again we have proved that our nation’s historic assets can be sensitively adapted to changing times and new uses. But ambiguous policy, inadequate funding and a major skills gap are stalling our ability to help them adapt once more – this time against the climate emergency.

“In 2021, we have a unique chance to protect our heritage and the environment. Nobody intended COP26 to arrive alongside planning reform but it creates an amazing impetus. The potential prize is equivalent to a 5% reduction in UK emissions associated with buildings and a substantial contribution to the sixth carbon budget. We just need the bravery to act and the place to start is getting policy right.”

The National Trust supports Grosvenor’s call for the built heritage to play a role in tackling climate change through retrofit.

Dick Mortimer, Executive Director at another partner of the report, Peabody, said: “Social landlords wanting to upgrade poorly performing historic homes face barriers at every turn. Changing planning policy won’t solve all the problems at a stroke. But alongside more funding, it would help combat fuel poverty amongst our residents.

“Many people on lower incomes living in older homes are forced to spend more on heating bills because of the planning system and the prohibitive costs of retrofit. This is a hidden inequality in society as well as a false economy, forcing more people into poverty and ill-health as a result. Allocating £10bn to improve England’s energy-poor housing would be an important part of “levelling up” and save the NHS £1.4bn per annum, paying for itself in just over seven years.”

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