Property Zero: The Path to Carbon Neutrality for UK Housing

councils housing providers investors Letting agents and landlords mortgage lenders Green lending MEES Property Zero

Published 25th January 2022

Why have we launched this site?

We believe that Net Zero can be made possible through both public and private sector financing. We believe that improving energy efficiency and decentralising electricity allows individuals to keep their bills low. We believe that a path to Property Zero: carbon neutrality for UK housing is possible by 2050.

We’ve launched this site to illuminate the path, making it easier for us all to follow it. We want to inform and incentivise businesses and individuals to make the right decisions. We want to support industry to channel capital at pace and scale towards a real green economy.

What’s the background?

This government, more than any before it, sees a large role for industry in driving the decarbonisation of UK property. The size of the investment required to do so outstrips even treasury budgets: there is a big bill to pay.

And yet there are opportunities here. ESG investment is a massive growth area, providing a ‘greenium’ on top of standard rates of return and providing a market incentive for firms to support the path to Net Zero. The growth of the retrofit industry can provide thousands of jobs and a focus on energy efficiency can reduce fuel bills for those most in need. Importantly, if we act quickly we still have time to complete the steps we need to

The industry needs data to support this push, to remove arguments that the path to Net Zero is either too hard or too expensive. In reality it is neither and providing the right data both supports immediate decision making and illuminates the path ahead.

What problems are we solving?

The Climate Change Committee’s strategy includes a focus on the role of the individual in getting to Net Zero. Behaviour change is required with everything from transport and travel, to recycling and waste management, diets and shopping. There has been comparatively little education on how habits around the home can make a difference. With fuel price increases on the horizon, it’s arguably more important than ever that people understand how to save money, as well as emissions.

Where improvements are discussed, the cost, but not the cost effectiveness, gets a lot of attention. We’d like people to understand that there are easy, fast, cheap things we can all do immediately to cut emissions. We’d also like the site to provide a framework for business decision-makers who are new to the challenge of decarbonising property.

Property data often obfuscates rather than illuminates the problem. The data that is available is often inaccurate, or inaccessible and out of date. By combining data from multiple sources, we’re able to deliver a clearer view than ever before on the emissions linked to our homes, and how to reduce them.

What did we do?

Kamma built a single source of truth for UK property environmental data. We have developed this interactive data site by mining and modelling hundreds of information sources to present the most complete and accurate view of the environmental impact of the built environment. We have been able to do this by combining world-class address-matching technology with multiple datasets and insightful analysis. We hope that the result is an engaging and easily consumed narrative on how to drive both your own home, and your property portfolio, towards Net Zero.

Who is it for?

The site is for everyone. Kamma’s services specifically support businesses through the challenges and opportunities arising as a result of decarbonisation. Kamma helps equip property owners, businesses and financial institutions for the path towards Property Zero by navigating risks, regulatory compliance and identifying new green growth opportunities.

So why is the housing sector so important in the path to Net Zero?

The UK has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe, and the housing sector contributes to 22% of all UK emissions. Achieving Property Zero is therefore one of the biggest challenges on the road to Net Zero, and is made harder by the lack of accurate and comprehensive property data. By publishing this data, and providing a guide to how Property Zero can be achieved, we hope to ensure decision-makers are better informed and that everyone can gain a better understanding of what’s required.

Collectively we can all be a part of this journey, and raise the level of awareness and debate and thereby ensure a swifter and more efficient path to carbon neutrality for UK homes.