Climate change: Most NI homes ‘need improvement’ to meet net zero target

Most homes in Northern Ireland need to be upgraded to be more energy efficient if net zero emissions targets are to be met by 2030, according to a report.

It found, on average, that properties don’t retain heat as well as in the rest of the UK and Ireland.

The Ulster University study is part of a report by the Forum for Better Housing Market NI, a group that analyzes problems in the local housing market.

The forum said “we need to act now” to reduce emissions from the housing sector.

In all, the report found that around 60% of homes need to improve their energy efficiency to help Northern Ireland meet its net zero emissions target.

The report also indicated that around 50,000 buildings a year need to be upgraded to meet the target of a 56% reduction in energy-related carbon emissions from the housing sector in Northern Ireland.

With the help of research from the University of Ulster, the forum report, called New Groundwork: The Pathway to Low Carbon Homes, sets out recommendations to support the decarbonisation process across the housing sector, which is currently contributing to the 14% of the country’s total greenhouse gases. emissions

Among the recommendations is that there should be a single policy to reduce emissions in the housing sector, which focuses on trying to incentivize developers, construction companies and homeowners to create more energy efficient homes.

Other suggestions include retrofitting existing homes with low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps, better insulation and a range of “green” mortgage products.

According to David Little, Chairman of the Forum for a Better Housing Market NI, Northern Ireland is falling behind the rest of the UK and Ireland.

“Houses here register the lowest energy performance scores compared to our neighbors and we are not on track to meet the UK’s net zero targets,” he said.

The research carried out at the University of Ulster was led by Professor Martin Haran, who highlighted “a series of failed initiatives allied with a non-incumbent Stormont Executive have ensured that Northern Ireland lags behind other regions of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland”.

The report also notes how other UK nations are tackling the problem, such as England and Wales, with “the Heat and Buildings 2023 Strategy, which promises £3.9bn in new funding to decarbonise heat and buildings.”

According to the report, the Northern Ireland Climate Change Bill 2022 represented a significant milestone “in terms of addressing climate change and decarbonisation” as it brings Northern Ireland on a par with other UK regions. by demanding net zero emissions targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050.

The UK has some of the least energy efficient housing in Europe, largely because much of the housing stock is very old.

Households in Northern Ireland are among the least efficient in the UK, making them the least efficient in Europe.

The properties are classified in energy efficiency through an energy performance certificate (EPC), which classifies the property from grade A, the most efficient, to grade G.

The government previously set a target of upgrading as many houses to grade C by 2035 “where practical, cost-effective and affordable”.

However, some activists have criticized progress towards this goal.

Many new houses continue to be built without basic insulation.

In 2022, the UK climate advisory group, UKCCC, warned the government that: “We are still building new homes that do not meet minimum efficiency standards.”