How can The Construction Industry Help The UK Reach Net-Zero Targets?
The UK government’s net zero target affects organisations across all sectors of the economy. In this post, we explain what the net zero target is and which sectors are most affected. We explore how net zero affects the construction industry and how MMC can be utilised to help the UK meet its net-zero targets.
What is the net zero target?
The ‘net zero target’ is a commitment by the UK government to ensure that the nation reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 100% from 1990 levels by the year 2050. This means that, if the target is met, the UK will produce greenhouse gas emissions at a level equal to those it removes from the environment.
The net-zero target is legally binding under the Climate Change Act 2008. According to the government, the UK has been the first major economy to bring in a net zero emissions law. In 2019, the ‘Net zero strategy: Build back greener’ which details policies and proposals relating to the decarbonisation of all UK economy sectors to ensure the net zero target can be met.
Which sectors will be most affected by net zero?
There are four sectors of the UK economy that, collectively, account for 78% of current emissions. These are transportation, energy supply, business and residential. These sectors will be most affected by the government's net zero target.
To help reach the net zero target by 2050, the government has made some ambitious pledges, including:
Generating all electricity from clean sources by 2035 (e.g. nuclear, solar and wind)
Installing 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028 to replace gas boilers
A ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030
Using carbon capture to remove 20-30 million tonnes of co2 a year by 2030
What does net zero mean for the UK construction industry?
According to a report by RICS on decarbonising UK real estate, the built environment accounts for approximately 30% of total carbon emissions annually in the UK. This includes both the emissions generated in the operation of buildings, such as fossil fuels burned for heating and cooking, as well as embodied carbon in buildings during the construction and manufacturing processes.
One key aspect of government policy directed at the decarbonisation of the built environment is the Heat and Building Strategy, which was published in 2021. The Heat and Building Strategy sets out plans to decarbonise homes and buildings, which include:
Ensuring all new buildings in England are ready for net zero from 2025
Phasing out of the installation of new natural gas boilers from 2035
£3.9 billion of funding for decarbonising heat and buildings
A deferral of the decision on the role of hydrogen for heat until 2026
The Future Homes Standard requires the delivery of ‘zero carbon ready’ homes by 2025, and the Future Building Standard imposes the same requirement on new non-domestic buildings. Within construction, being ‘zero carbon ready’ means that no further retrofit work for energy efficiency will be needed for buildings to become zero carbon.
Last year, the government brought in interim Building Regulation amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations. These require a reduction in carbon emissions by 27% for new non-domestic buildings, compared with current standards, as well as a 30% reduction for new domestic buildings.
How MMC can help reach the net zero target
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can help with the drive towards net zero. Compared to traditional methods of construction, MMC uses up to 67% less energy during the construction process and reduces up to 80% of waste.
Modular buildings are typically built to be more sustainable and have greater recyclability. Utilising MMC can help to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Because offsite construction processes require a lower volume of carbon-intensive products like steel and concrete, utilising MMC can dramatically reduce embodied carbon in the built environment.
Offsite construction can be utilised to meet building requirements across many sectors of the UK economy, including education, healthcare, business, residential and more. As such, it is increasingly being seen as an important component of the net zero strategy.
Case study: Lowfield Timber Frames
Lowfield Timber Frames, an award-winning Passive House supplier, worked on a social housing project in Shropshire. The Passive House scheme was commissioned to reduce energy consumption and eradicate local fuel poverty.
Passive House (Passivhaus) is a building standard that is energy efficient, comfortable and affordable. It makes use of the sun, internal heat sources and heat recovery to make conventional heating sources unnecessary, even in very cold weather.
Passive House ensures good air quality indoors with a ventilation system to supply fresh air. Buildings are designed to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum.
The 820m2 development in Shropshire comprised one, two and three-bedroom homes, including two shared ownership and ten social rentals. Lowfield Timber Frames utilised a range of techniques, materials and systems designed to promote the housing associations' aim for carbon reduction and a cohesive, circular economy in Shropshire.
The properties were constructed using specially designed timber frames and thermally modified hardwood cladding. Smart ply airtight boarding was used internally, utilising airtight tape on all joints. Service hatch to the gable ends to access the loft. This allows for the loft space to be filled with Warmcel insulation and avoid penetrating the airtightness layer.
The Larsen truss system allows for a thicker wall space. This space was filled with Warmcel Insulation. Wall thickness can be varied to achieve the required U-value. The Larsen truss helps reduce thermal bridging. Service runs were integrated into the floor zone at the design stage to allow for easy installation of MVHR.
You can find out more about Lowfield Timber Frames’ Passive House projects here.