Julie James MS, Minister for Housing and Local Government
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Today I am publishing our plans for Building Regulations, marking a step change in the energy performance of new houses. This signals a shift to cleaner ways to heat our homes, helping to green our housing sector in Wales.
If Wales is to meet its climate targets, our building stock must produce close to zero emissions by 2050. This will require a substantial change in how buildings are heated and powered in the future. The demand for energy used in buildings will have to be significantly lower and the energy needed delivered through low carbon and renewable sources.
New homes being built today will exist in 2050. So the standards we set for homes now put us on the right path to meeting our targets.
Last year I set out proposals to introduce a significant uplift in energy efficiency standards for all new homes as part of wider plans to address the climate emergency. The Government response has been published today that sets out our decision to introduce a 37% reduction in carbon emissions for new dwellings (compared with current standards). These new standards will be implemented from 2022 and could save homeowners £180 a year on energy bills (based on a semi-detached home).
All new homes will also need to be future-proofed, to make it easier to retrofit low carbon heating systems.
The 37% reduction is a stepping stone towards the next changes to energy efficiency in Building Regulations in 2025, where new homes will need to produce a minimum of 75% less CO2 emissions than ones built to current requirements.
Implementation of these proposals will be fundamental in helping us meet our climate targets and help safeguard Wales for future generations.