Can consumers drive better quality in homes? With the overhaul of standards, legislation and the Zero Carbon homes target now no more – what next for high performing homes? Gwyn Roberts, Head of Housing standards at BRE, explains how the Home Quality Mark can help.
Over the eight years I have worked in this sector a lot has changed. ‘Normal’ housing has moved on considerably. Building Regulations have helped lift up the baseline, while innovations in products and skills have changed the conversation on what is possible.
Often though, the end consumer has been forgotten in the conversation. What does ‘good’ look like for all manner of households? We know that it is possible to build a zero net CO2 home – and even one that is CO2 positive. However, a truly sustainable, high-quality home is a home that doesn’t only perform well on one particular issue. The home must also perform for the people who live in it – as this is its most basic function, there is no point only performing well on paper.
The Code for Sustainable Homes, as a Government driven standard, and the Zero Carbon homes ambition helped to drive the conversation forward, however, it didn’t really achieve its ambition of invigorating the general public to want and value higher standards. Homes will always be different to other products and services. Choice is often more constrained as location and land will always be fixed. However, this shouldn’t mean that people should not have a choice on the things which they are able to make comparisons on – the features of homes.
We can give people more information on wider areas such as costs (for example energy, insurance, maintenance and potential mortgages), positive impacts on our health and wellbeing, and of course our environmental footprint. Furthermore we need to understand how our homes are going to be impacted by a changing climate, digital age and demographic changes.
Websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla give us the basics on new homes, and many developers are articulating the benefits of certain features of their homes to people. However, it is difficult for the home buyer or renter to understand how these claims compare, or if they are backed up by any real science or verification. The Home Quality Mark which we launched at Ecobuild will help to address this. It will provide householders with the tools to make the smart choice, with an independent brand that they can trust. Signs are that consumers have an appetite for this. In our recent survey with 500 users of web comparison portal www.moneysupermarket.com, 97 per cent of respondents (over 500 people) said they would welcome a quality mark for housing. Homebuilders also support its introduction – over 30 have signed up to pilot the mark because they know it will drive their businesses, allowing them to differentiate themselves.
Using a simple star rating, the mark will give a householder clear indications of the home’s overall running costs, how it will protect their health and wellbeing, its resilience to flooding and overheating, and its environmental footprint. It will demonstrate how digitally connected a home is and it will help everyone understand the long term quality and performance of a newbuild home. It is our long term goal that the Home Quality Mark will become the de facto sign of a better home.
For further information visit: www.homequalitymark.com
