“I would have loved it to be the Warm and Healthy Homes Plan”

The Warm Homes Plan has seen a major commitment to tackle fuel poverty, but it could have gone further to make homes better for occupants’ health and wellbeing, as well as warmer, says housing policy specialist Jade Lewis.

Everyone in our sector was pleased to see the Warm Homes Plan published last week. It’s certainly been a long time coming. It’s a huge commitment from the government to tackle poor quality, energy inefficient housing and fuel poverty and a major step in the right direction.

But there are a few disappointments, and several areas where a little more ambition could have had some big positive impacts.

For many years, groups like the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthy Homes and Buildings have been campaigning for making healthy homes and buildings the number one priority for government. We want to see homes be not just warmer, but better for our overall health and wellbeing. This year we are on a mission to effect positive policy change which embeds health and well-being principles in future legislation for future generations. I would love to have seen a ‘Warm and Healthy Homes Plan’.

The importance of energy efficiency measures

One size does not fit all, when it comes to retrofit.  Our homes are not all the same.

Selecting ‘the technologies most suitable for a particular home’ is a more sensible approach than being overly specific, and is less likely to lead to unintended consequences. But I know that I am not alone in feeling that much more focus should have been given to energy efficiency and fabric measures. Not only do these improve the performance and reduce the operating cost of technologies like heat pumps, they also improve health outcomes and aid fuel poverty reduction.

Putting local Mayors in the driving seat is a welcome step, as we know local authorities are often seen as trusted partners in retrofit schemes and are closer to the needs of their communities. Integrating regional retrofit strategy with the strategies of local NHS boards would improve targeting of the most vulnerable in society and aid broader health outcomes.

Deliver both protection and education for occupants

It’s great to see additional protection for renters to ensure ‘safe, warm and affordable homes’ but shouldn’t they also be healthy? The long-awaited new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the Private Rented Sector are welcome but, as currently written, will not guarantee this.

As the new Warm Homes Agency gets to work, I would like to see its remit broadened to educate and advise residents on solutions to aid their health. Perhaps it could oversee a data intelligence strategy which includes health and building performance, helping us make more informed policy decisions and identify the right solutions to improve health and wellbeing.

Using the Home Energy Model and other standards 

A great many documents were published alongside the Warm Homes Plan, which the sector will be working through over the coming months. One of those was a consultation on how the Home Energy Model can be used to improve EPCs. There is scope to expand them into a more holistic assessment including health metrics to encourage positive behavioural change and gain wider benefits. We have always championed an ‘energy and health performance certificate’ or ‘building performance certificate’ and we hope government will consider this.

Hopefully the new Future Homes Standard will prevent new inefficient, unhealthy homes being built and ensure that all new ones are designed to positively impact health and meet decency standards. I’d also like to see the new Homes England Healthy Homes Standard being mandated.

Ensuring we have the right skills

The biggest barrier to implementing the Government’s ambitions will continue to be the workforce. We need to ensure that we have the right skills to deliver a holistic approach to the design, retrofit and construction of healthy homes and buildings. It is not sufficient to simply retrain gas engineers as clean heat installers without giving them that wider understanding of how to improve a home.

Overall, the Warm Homes Plan is a positive step to try and address our current housing stock. However, it is also a missed opportunity to retrofit our homes in a more holistic manner to address health and well-being and reap the benefits that this could bring to growth, reduced healthcare costs, building safer communities, removing barriers to opportunities and making Britain a Clean Energy Superpower.

• Jade Lewis is chief executive of Jade Advocacy and secretariat provider for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Healthy Homes and Buildings