Healthy Homes: Achieving Net Zero Through Well-being
15th November 2024
Net-zero goals are vital in tackling climate change. The UK has a legal target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The housing sector and, more widely, real estate are significant contributors to global emissions.
To name a few figures, The built environment generates 40 per cent of all global CO2 emissions. In the UK, housing emissions are estimated to be 8.1 tonnes of CO2 per household per year. Most commentators would agree that we still face a monumental challenge in reducing our carbon footprint and making housing more sustainable.
However, the focus on technical jargon often leaves residents disengaged. Conversations with housing associations indicate that up to 40% refusal rates are a significant barrier in retrofit projects. Technical language scares people off and may go over their heads. Two-thirds of residents don’t consider improvements. The most common reason for this was the perception that their home was already efficient enough (35%), followed by not owning their own home (29%) and changes costing too much money (28%).”
Resident engagement and consultation are critical in any retrofit project. Shifting the conversation to health and well-being resonates more with individuals, leveraging this approach to increase community engagement and action.
The Power of a Health-Centred Approach
Research by PlaceChangers indicated that focusing on health and well-being can be the key to better conversations with residents about retrofit measures. Studies by PlaceShapers, a body representing housing associations, also reflected this. They note: “Many stakeholders recognised that money is not always a significant motivation for residents. [...] Our stakeholders suggested that ‘healthy homes’ are an underused talking point which has proved effective with many residents.”
It’s easy to focus on technical programmes, specs, and cost and, as a result, forget the soft or human element to retrofit.
From a psychological perspective, discussions around well-being and health can address immediate and tangible concerns for residents, such as air quality and mental health, making the connection between their daily lives and broader sustainability goals more transparent. Better mental health is one of the outcomes of improved air quality and heat security.
People respond more actively to initiatives that promise better physical and mental health outcomes. Integrating health into sustainability programs fosters a sense of personal and community investment, making action on climate change feel relevant to everyday life.
Most people spend 80-90% of their time indoors, so improving the quality of our older housing stock can contribute to our well-being.
Why Net Zero Can Feel Distant or Too Technical
Net Zero feels like an abstract concept. While crucial, net-zero goals often seem distant from people’s immediate realities, with goals to be achieved decades from now.
Many residents may need help seeing how their actions contribute to such goals, which can cause disengagement. That’s why we follow the advice of Architecture & Design Scotland, which advises to “Begin climate conversations by asking ‘non-climate’ questions about changes in the local area.”
The technical language surrounding energy efficiency, emissions reduction, or U values can overwhelm residents, reducing enthusiasm for participation. By contrast, health and well-being offer a more relatable framework highlighting individual benefits, such as home comfort and warmth.
Case Studies of Health-Focused Engagement
Cities prioritising citizen health outcomes, like improving walkability or increasing access to green spaces, tend to engage residents more effectively in sustainability initiatives. For example, the City of London’s community efforts focusing on interventions that support cycling and walking led to an active level of participation in PlaceChangers by 786, who made active suggestions from street greening to improvements for more excellent cycling and walking.
Karbon Homes is progressing an ambitious retrofit programme in the North East of England with phenomenal results. Residents were enthusiastic about the improved indoor comfort, and the investment in properties raised community pride in their local area, all while saving 40% of residents’ energy bills.
Bridging Health and Sustainability for Long-Term Success
Over time, place-based work and focus on practical actions that have personal meaning to residents will build enthusiasm and interest in further initiatives that can help toward carbon reduction.
So, let’s see health and net-zero goals as complements rather than competing concerns to achieve more buy-in and appreciation that our personal and planetary health are actually dependent on them. Healthy urban environments (e.g. better air quality, improved access to nature, good homes) are inherently sustainable and contribute to net-zero targets.
As residents become more engaged in health-oriented initiatives, they will likely support broader environmental and sustainability measures.
Conclusion
In conclusion, focusing on health and well-being can help achieve broader net-zero targets by emphasising more personal and community motivation, which residents can understand. Global warming presents the biggest threat to human welfare across the planet. Focusing on practical place-specific actions is more accessible for residents to follow and appreciate, especially if work aligns with personal outcomes.
As a city planner, housing provider, or community leader, you can reshape how we approach net-zero goals by making them more personal and relatable. Start integrating health and well-being into your sustainability initiatives today. Capturing positive stories of residents and the real difference achieved systematically needs to be the starting point to support buy-in.
The mission and ethos of the Healthy Homes Hub take a local focus to achieve global outcomes.
Bio
Dr. Sebastian Weise is a founding director at PlaceChangers, a startup for place-based impact tools. Sebastian brings more than ten years of experience in planning, digital community consultation, and geospatial technologies. In 2020, PlaceChangers won funding from InnovateUK to digitise health impact assessments, and he regularly supports design teams on projects for affordable home providers, including Karbon Homes, Gentoo, believe housing, Countryside Partnerships, North Tyneside Council, Homes England, and many others. A regular speaker at Urban Design London and the Association of Collaborative Design (ACD), he engages with many communities, developers and planners.
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