Mohamed Gaafar, CEO and Co-Founder of GRYD Energy:
“The time has come for the new government to take a firm stance on the FHS and commit to making the country’s housing fit for the future. The FHS is a crucial piece of legislation that will raise the environmental standards of new homes and ensure the housing sector’s energy supply is more resilient, affordable and sustainable for all.
“It’s very concerning to see the new Labour government wavering over the strength of legislation proposed about the environmental standards of new homes.
“The previous government delivered so many mixed messages over decarbonisation standards for UK homes. This has caused significant uncertainty for asset owners, landlords and developers and fuelled inaction across the sector.
“The new government’s green growth agenda cannot be realised without an unapologetic commitment to the Future Homes Standard. This will give the property sector the clarity and stability it needs, and deliver a clear message that the future of Britain’s housing will be driven by innovation and no longer plagued by inertia.
“The Future Homes Standard will certainly bring challenges for developers – as new regulatory measures do for any sector – but this is an essential piece of legislation to ensure Britain’s new building stock is futureproofed and primed for a clean, energy efficient future.
“Until now, the government has heavily focussed on the decarbonisation of homes through subsidies for retrofits. This is an important piece of the puzzle, yet with Starmer’s bold ambition to build 1.5 million homes in five years, he must put robust regulatory measures in place to ensure those new homes are built for a net zero future – and won’t have to be retrofitted with the right technology in a matter of years.
“If we don’t build homes today that are futureproofed with low carbon systems, we’ll be retrofitting them in 5-10 years down the line at a much higher cost. Let’s do it once and do it right.”
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