All new homes in Wales to be heated and powered from clean energy sources from 2025.

David Rees, the Assembly Member for Aberavon, is backing ambitious new proposals set out by the Welsh Labour Government which would lead to all new homes in Wales being heated and powered only from clean energy sources from 2025. The move would make all new homes more energy efficient and cheaper to run.

The consultation proposals unveiled by Welsh Labour’s Housing Minister, Julie James, are part of wider Welsh Government plans to address the climate emergency it declared last year.

The proposals include:
• Improved energy efficiency from 2020 which will lead to a 37% reduction in CO2 from new dwellings, compared with current standards, and save homeowners £180 a year on energy bills (based on a semi-detached home). In addition, all new homes will need to be future-proofed, to make it easier to retrofit low carbon heating systems• Phasing out the use of high-carbon fossil fuels and moving to cleaner ways to heat our homes though the introduction of low carbon heating and energy generation, such as renewable energy sources (photovoltaic panels), heat pumps or district heat networks, which involve heating and hot water to multiple buildings from a central heat source
• Improving energy efficiency thorough introducing measures that limit heat loss and reduce the demand for heat, such as triple glazing and higher standard fabrics for walls, roofs, floors, and windows
• Improving air quality by ensuring the supply and removal of air to and from a space or spaces in a building provides good air quality. This will also help ensure people’s physical well-being is maximised
• When the new building standards are implemented in full in 2025, homes should produce 75-80% less CO2 emissions than ones built to current requirements.

David Rees AM said: “The Welsh Labour Government’s proposals will not only help tackle climate change, but they will also help to keep down household energy costs now and in the future.”

“The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our time and housing is a key contributor to it, as new and existing homes currently account for 9% of Welsh greenhouse gas emissions.”

“If we are to tackle the climate crisis and meet the ambitious target set by the Welsh Labour Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050, we need to take action now!”

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Notes to editors:
1. The consultation on the new proposals closes on the 12 March 2020 and can be found at: https://gov.wales/building-regulations-part-l-review-0