Every year, state officials make new pledges to downsize the impacts of climate change by enacting comprehensive strategies. COP26 has been the talk of the town in recent days and every state representative has been observed highlighting the unfolding consequences of climate change. Against this backdrop, the housing industry is one of the contributors to the carbon footprint; since reforms in one sector cannot overturn the fortune of our planet there is a need of evolving a holistic strategy.
Graana.com through this blog presents the key takeaways from UK’s Energy Efficiency Standards which can help to conserve energy at the household level. The measures are unique in controlling carbon emissions by evolving the regulations for low-carbon heating. ‘The Future Home Standards’ is a draft that incorporates the new rules for reducing carbon emissions and conservation of fuel and power. The draft instils an idea that by 2025 the new households will not incorporate the heating systems that run on fossil fuels. The electricity grids are already shifting on renewable energy sources which is minimising the carbon emissions in the United Kingdom.
A Need for Central Heating Systems
The dwellings in Pakistan do include central heating systems rather than rely on independent heating sources which often use natural gas. As the natural gas resources are shrinking in Pakistan, there is a need to promote central heating systems which can run on one energy source, particularly renewable energy sources. With minimal changes in the by-laws, a central heating system in the new dwellings can be promoted which can help to reduce the burden on our natural resources. Furthermore, the contribution of the housing sector to the carbon footprint will also be reduced by incorporating this new system.
Improved Insulation
Another key takeaway that can be taken from the new regulations is improving the insulation in the homes. Home developers in Pakistan do not include insulation of homes in their preference which puts pressure on the heating or cooling systems. By employing proper insulation indoors, the temperature in the homes can be easily managed which can also help to reduce the utility bills. Contemporarily, the walls of homes in Pakistan does not employ any insulation material which can help to maintain indoor temperature. Solid walls insulation in this backdrop can provide leeway in improving the insulation systems while also ensuring minimal carbon emissions.
Adaptation
An important aspect that is often overlooked in the policymaking and the legislative process in Pakistan is adaptation. The energy efficiency policy of the UK brings to light a fact that the laws should be designed such that they have an essence of adaptation in their formulation. Owing to the adaptive nature of the laws the British government has been quite successful in changing the energy efficiency standards. Meanwhile, laws specific to the housing industry in maintaining the energy efficiency standards are missing in Pakistan; however, there is a need for developing laws that look into these small issues. As the real estate sector is growing in Pakistan there is a need to formulate adaptive laws.
Risk Mitigation
Every year laws various households in Pakistan fall prey to the risks that are associated with heating appliances. A key takeaway that can be taken from the UK’s energy standards is that the law promotes those mechanisms which do not put the life of a person at risk. For example, an appliance running on fossil fuel or methane for that matter puts the life of residents at risk. Therefore, renewable energy sources which are considered to be environment-friendly and have minimal risks can be promoted or brought forward through comprehensive legislation and policymaking. The incidents of gas leakage are very common in Pakistan and many fatal losses are observed due to mismanagement.
Creating New Linkages
Advocating for such a reform can not work in isolation, there is a need of creating new linkages between the actors that can help to meet the requirements of creating an energy-efficient household. The UK is creating new linkages between building control bodies and homeowners so that efficient resource management and discrepancies can be removed prior to the initiation of the policy. By bridging the gap between the stakeholders the uniform implementation can be ensured.
