Analysis: One in four homes is ’hard to decarbonise’

Dr Rokia Raslan - Dr Rokia Raslan (UCL Bartlett School Environment, Energy & Resources), with Aimee Ambrose at Sheffield Hallam University, warns in The Conversation that a quarter of houses worldwide are classified as "hard to decarbonise" using conventional energy efficiency upgrades. Millions of people are facing soaring energy bills this winter. Yet according to our research, at least 20% of homes in the UK will continue to use large amounts of energy. We have found that existing energy efficiency measures such as improving home insulation and installing air source heat pumps are not enough to help these homes move out of the very lowest energy performance criteria. These properties are called hard to decarbonise homes and include a wide range of unconventional residential buildings such as high rise blocks, homes with space constraints or those with heritage status. An estimated one in four homes worldwide are classified as hard to decarbonise, accounting for 25% of all direct residential sector emissions. But homes are the fourth largest source of carbon emissions in the world.