'Leaky homes need addressing as well as replacing gas boilers'

A flagship Government strategy to address the impact of our homes on the climate looks to have failed to deliver the ambitious blueprint for action that is needed to deliver a greener Britain, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), in response to today’s announced publication of the Heat and Buildings Strategy.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Today’s Heat and Buildings Strategy needs to set out a bold and long-term plan of action to tackle the impact of our homes on the climate. Unfortunately, it is not looking encouraging. Grants for heat pumps is a step in the right direction so we begin to reduce our reliance on polluting and volatile fossil fuels, but incentives are also needed to make our existing homes better insulated.”

Berry continued: “The Government appears to be only listening to one half of the story. If there is no detail in the Strategy on how we can address the megatonnes of carbon lost through the leaky walls and roofs of our homes, it will have failed and the benefits of installing heat pumps risk being lost."

Berry concluded: “Without a long-term national retrofit strategy, including a proper skills plan and communications campaign, regular consumers won’t know what action they need to take, nor feel it’s within their grasp; and industry won’t take the long-term investment decisions needed to be ready to deliver. I can only hope that the Chancellor will use next week’s Budget to address some of these gaps.”