Commenting on the announcements, Simon McWhirter, Director of Communications, Policy & Places at UKGBC, said:

“UKGBC applauds the Government for taking forward the more ambitious Part L improvement options within the consultation, alongside new requirements for tackling domestic overheating. This is a vital step in the right direction in the decarbonisation of our buildings.

However, there were overarching details missing which could and should have clarified what more will be done to deliver net zero buildings by 2050. Although we welcome that the Government’s commitment to issue a ‘Statement of Intent’ will address both embodied carbon and the performance gap, it was disappointing not to see these necessary, clear and ambitious proposals set out here today, particular as UKGBC’s Whole Life Carbon Roadmap demonstrates that urgent action is critical on these issues.

The Roadmap shows that embodied carbon will form over half of all built environment emissions by 2035, and with embodied carbon emissions currently unregulated, it is essential that the government moves quickly if we are to meet our climate targets.”

More information on the publication of the Future Buildings Standard Government Response and implementation of the 2021 uplift to the Building Regulations can be accessed here and here.

UKGBC’s response to the Future Buildings Standard consultation can be downloaded here, and response to the Future Homes Standard consultation here.

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