Thank you for visiting Homes Matter.

Following the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates in 2007, improving the energy efficiency of  homes and the homebuying process are interlinked. However,  progress on delivery has been slow:

Delivering energy efficient homes
The UK has the oldest housing stock in the world with over 80% being privately owned.  Over 85% of  carbon dioxide emissions come from these homes not social housing but to date, government and ithe energy efficiency industry has focused on improving the latter. Unless more resources are allocated to retrofitting privately owned homes, Government's carbon reduction targets will not be met.

The scale of the challenge is unprecedented and the need for action, urgent but no consensus exists on what needs to be done and how it can be best delivered. 

Delivering homebuying reform
Consumers find the process of selling and buying a home to be stressful, time consuming and expensive and there is no certainty a transaction will go ahead resulting in unwanted cost and heartache for millions of sellers and buyers. Four million sellers and landlords have paid out over £250 million for EPCs but have received little or no advice on how to implement recommended energy savings measures.

The technology, commercial nous and political will to make the process better exists but initiatives introduced by Government – for example Home Information Packs, Energy Performance Certificates and the Chain Matrix - have not delivered on this potential. Reform is long overdue but no consensus exists on what needs to be done and how it can be delivered. 

How can we make it happen? 

Retrofitting homes is a lot easier said than done. Most importantly, it requires £70 billion of funding at a time when Government spending needs to be cut. In it's Household Energy Management Strategy, published earlier this month, Government proposes that councils drive forward the retrofitting of homes in partnership with energy suppliers.  This is to be applauded but there are many unanswered questions. For example:

• After 2011, council budgets are likely to be reduced by 10-15% leading to cuts in front line services and possibly, 100,000 job losses. Given this, will councils be able to justify and prioritise improving the energy efficiency of homes? Will they have the staff and resources needed? 
• Councils are outsourcing responsibility to delivery agents. If their appointed agents do not perform and uptake rates are low, will residents' trust in councils be undermined?
•  Whilst councils can clearly help in the social housing sector, can they succeed in private housing?
• Energy suppliers wil be expected to provide 2/3rd of the funding required through CERT which they will raise by increasing energy bills. Is it right that taxpayers pay for measures that they may not necessarily benefit from?
• Homeowners will be expected to take on PAYS loans for 20 years or more to pay for more expensive measures such as solid wall insulation. Will they and will buyers be prepared to takeover a loan attached to the property?
• For PAYS loans greater than £10,000, the savings in energy bills are unlikely to cover repayments. Will £10,000 be enough?
• Uptake rates on projects such as the LDA's Home Energy Efficiency programme are less than 30%, even though measures are free. How can uptake rates be improved?

To deliver action on the scale and speed required,  EVERY individual and organisation will need to play their part. Consumers will need to adopt low carbon lifestyles. Organisations that have historically not worked together will now need to do so. Better understanding by public and private stakeholders of  their respective interests and concerns will need to be achieved and less expected of Government by way of  legislation. It will also need better communication with homeowners on why and how they can improve their homes and better incentives to do so. And, consumer-facing organisations will need to establish insulation referral schemes and other 'green' services of interest to employees and customers.

On homebuying reform, an impasse exists over Home Information Packs. Will they stay or will they go? Mandatory or voluntary? Will action on EPCs become mandatory?  Will stakeholders with differing interests be able to agree common ground and faciliate reform? Should sealed bids be introduced as in Scotland? What is to become of Home Condition Reports? Will Chain Matrix be revived? Will forward thinking organisations collaborate to provide sellers and buyers with a complete online system from sale to completion?

Delivering energy efficient homes and homebuying reform are clearly complex subjects. At the end of the day, it will require leadership, compromise and a willingness by industry to put the needs of consumers, first. The question is, will they?

Homes Matter's founder is trying to help facilitate ways forward through discussions with:

 .

With stakeholders such as:

And with Government through e.g. the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Department of Communities and Local Government, London Development Authority, Local Councils and Opposition parties.

About Homes Matter
This site was created by the founder. He has no vested interests and is not influenced by any business, group of businesses, stakeholder or lobby group.  For information on the founder, please see  http://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelfarren and http://twitter.com/nigelfarren