Domestic property energy consumption equates to 14% of all UK carbon emissions, and those unable to afford rising energy costs risk falling into fuel poverty – choosing whether to heat or eat.
Even before the pandemic, most UK cities were struggling to reduce fuel poverty. City leaders recognise the necessity and opportunity of setting bold carbon reduction targets to improve the quality of local housing, while supporting the global climate crisis clarion call.
Now set against the backdrop of a looming recession, UK cities are stepping up to host online conferences to address social, economic and climate issues. Retrofitting existing homes with energy efficiency measures improves residents’ well-being, reduces bills and (at scale) can stimulate local supply chains and support local employment.
Via a series of regional online events, Low Carbon Homes exists to reduce the carbon impact of homes and highlight the wider social and economic benefits of retrofit, unpacking the complexities of retrofit-at-scale, reduce confusion and promote action.
Low Carbon Homes, hosted by Birmingham City Council on 21-23 July, is a free-to-attend event bringing professionals from inter-related sectors together to collaborate and consider the scale of the challenge, the solutions available and the barriers to overcome.
“We’re delighted to be bringing our first online event to Birmingham. Through the creation of the Route-To-Zero Taskforce, Birmingham has demonstrated its commitment to becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030, and that this can only be achieved through collaboration across the city. We’re delighted that the chair of the taskforce, Cllr. Waseem Zaffar MBE will be opening our event on 21st July, setting out the ambition of the city and the challenges and opportunities ahead” – Graham Lock, Founder, Low Carbon Homes.
After Birmingham, Low Carbon Homes will be staging further city events, hosted by Glasgow City Council in September and Manchester City Council in November, with others to be announced.
Registration for the Birmingham event is open at https://www.lowcarbonhomes.uk/