Building net-zero carbon homes for social and private builds

There's a housing shortage here in the UK, and we're in the race to meet targets for zero-carbon emissions in all new homes. How do we combat both the housing shortage and the environmental targets?

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As a lifelong renter, I have strong opinions when it comes to housing. I’ve been lucky, with nearly 25 years in one house and nearly 10 in another. For the vast majority of renters in the UK, they are wrestling with expensive utility bills, as well as other common issues such as damp, noisy neighbours, rent hikes, and the ever-present threat of eviction. Building new, secure, safe, net-zero carbon homes is essential for the planet and for our children.

Legislation is slow in coming, but new protections here in Wales have been put into effect with the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which came into effect at the end of 2022.

This provides a minimum 6 months notice period for “no fault’ evictions, property safety checks that are mandatory, and deposit protections.

These go some way to giving tenants more security, but the one big problem facing the UK right now is a housing shortage. People are struggling to get onto the housing ladder, and there’s a shortage of both private and social housing. 

According to the UK House Price Index, there was a 2.5% increase in house prices between November 2024 and November 2025. House prices grew fastest in Northern Ireland and Scotland, while house prices fell in London. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the younger generation to buy their own home, especially for those planning families and on low incomes. 

Social housing has been a problem for some time. According to England, Shelter in the years ‘23 to ‘24, more social housing homes were lost at around 20, 560 because of either demolition or the Right to Buy. In the meantime, 19, 910 social housing homes were delivered, which equaled a loss of 650 social homes overall.

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So far, then, too many houses are being demolished or sold with a loss of social housing homes every year since the Thatcher years back in 1981. Social housing in Wales fares little better, and it is almost impossible to get into social housing at all (believe me, I know people who’ve tried). However, there have been improvements to living standards in new builds.

Changes made by the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) mean that all social housing must include quality flooring in all rooms, landing, and stairs, preventing unsafe flooring and old bare concrete floors, especially for young families.

Also -

“Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, a total of 3,643 additional affordable housing units were delivered across Wales (under the TAN 2 definition). Since 1 April 2007, when information on affordable housing was first collected, a cumulative total of 47,541 additional affordable housing units has been delivered. The 3,643 additional affordable housing units delivered during 2024 to 2025 were an increase of 12% (388 units compared to the units delivered the previous year and is the highest total since data was first recorded in 2007 to 2008.”

Targets for Wales are to build another 4, 202 housing units during 2025 to 2026. And according to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), the past 2 years, “.... planned figures have closely aligned with the official statistics for final delivery, with delivery figures within 5% of the planned figure.”

Also -

• Welsh registered social landlords (RSLs) continued to make the largest contribution to additional affordable housing in Wales, delivering 74% of all additional affordable housing provision during 2024 to 2025 (2,681 units).

• 92% of affordable homes delivered were for rent (including social and intermediate rent), 5% were shared ownership, and 3% shared equity. These percentages exclude ‘other’ providers, as tenure is unknown.

  
  

What’s interesting is that WAG has committed to delivering 20,000 new low-carbon homes for rent within the social sector from 2021 to 2026. So far, 13, 399 had been built, with the final delivery in 2026 to reach 18, 652 by April 2026 this year, which means they will have surpassed this target later in the year if all goes to plan.

We know that the UK needs sustainable social housing, but what does this look like, and what is a low-carbon home? We know that energy bills equal fuel poverty for millions of people, and how this can impact both physical and mental health, but what will a low-carbon home look like?

We know the UK is committed to lowering net carbon emissions, but here we’re going to look at what that means in practical terms for both private and social housing. Heating is responsible for a large percentage of the UK’s total energy usage, so our homes play an important role in helping to reduce carbon emissions. It is now mandatory (as of 2025) to make sure that all homes built from 2025 onwards produce between 75 and 80% less carbon emissions in England. You can read more about this here.

In Wales, the aim is 78% and 94% reduction in CO2 emissions per building, that’s both domestic and non-domestic. The Welsh Government consulted on ‘Part L’ of a review into improving energy efficiency in November of last year (2025).

Also, it intends to increase electric heat usage by up to 3% with the aim of reducing the use of fossil fuels, with a view to using 100% electricity from renewable sources by 2035. All new affordable homes are being built in Wales to net-zero carbon standards, with the hope that these standards will be adopted by all those planning on developing new homes. 

In a net carbon home, an energy-efficient home will have the following:-

Solar panels, battery storage, heat pump, underfloor heating + larger radiators (and yes, for social housing), an EV charger, full insulation from roof to floor (+ walls), double or triple-glazed windows, draught-proofing, a good quality ventilation system, smart heating controls, and an electric cooking hob. These things are more likely to be featured in new builds, but it is possible to upgrade older homes, and one would imagine this is possible for social as well as private housing.

I’m curious about heat pumps. How do they work?

Basically, it’s an electrical system that takes heat from the air, water, or the ground and compresses it so it provides heating and also hot water. According to The National Grid, it provides around 3 to 4 units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed. By absorbing heat in this way, they can have a dramatic impact on carbon emissions, which, as you can imagine, makes it a vital tool in achieving net-zero targets. 

How does underfloor heating help with zero carbon emissions?

Underfloor heating (for me at least) sounds like a luxury for the likes of those who can afford to live in larger houses and pay enormous heating bills. But the truth is, underfloor heating is good for the environment and is far more efficient at warming your home, and is far more eco-friendly than gas radiators.

I mean, we’ve learnt that heat rises, right? So, it figures that it’s going to be better at keeping you warm and works out cheaper. If you’re in a new build or you’re about to move into one, then it’s likely you’ll already have underfloor heating. You can also install it with a heat pump as well. 

As we’ve seen, there is a housing crisis in the UK, and social housing is a big problem thanks to the Right to Buy, and although this scheme isn’t likely to be abolished any time soon in England, the restrictions around it are being tightened. There will be a 10-year residency applied, with added protection for newly built social homes, and in Wales The Right to Buy (I’m relieved to say) was abolished in 2019 with the Abolition of the Right to Buy and Associated Rights (Wales) Act 2018. 

I have hope that in the future, not only will there be an end to the housing crisis, but that those being built now will achieve net zero carbon emissions, creating homes that are both economically and environmentally sound for all who live in them, and that includes those who rent as well as those who can afford to buy.

We all deserve to live in a warm, safe home that provides shelter for ourselves and our children. It is a fundamental human right, so I’m hoping that we’re all going to see those changes taking place in Wales and throughout the rest of the UK. It certainly seems that we are on that path here in Wales, and I’m here for it.