Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of (a) the Future Homes Standard and (b) housing policy to the UK reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The housing sector, like most other sectors of the country, will have to almost fully decarbonise to meet our 2050 net zero carbon emissions target. While we have had significant successes to date, with a 15 per cent reduction in average household energy use since 2010, we know that a step change in pace of delivery will be needed to meet the challenge of net zero.

The Government has committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025. This means new homes will be fit for the future, with low carbon heating and lower energy use through high levels of energy efficiency. We propose that new homes built to the Future Homes Standard from 2025 should have carbon dioxide emissions up to 80 per cent lower than those built to current building regulations standards.

We are currently consulting on a meaningful and achievable increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes to be introduced through the Building Regulations in 2020, as a stepping stone to this commitment. The preferred option is to set a standard that should result in a 31 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. The consultation is open until 7 February and we welcome further evidence.