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Why Flats Must Not Be Forgotten in the UK’s Warm Homes Drive

31/03/2026

Ambion

By Oliver Baker, CEO, Ambion Heating

When ministers unveiled January’s Warm Homes Plan, the language was reassuringly familiar: “efficient”, “affordable”, “clean”, “fair”. The ambition - to upgrade Britain’s draughty housing stock and cut emissions - is hard to dispute. But as so often with energy policy, the risk lies not in the adjectives but in the omissions. Among the insulation targets and heat pump incentives, one group risks being quietly overlooked: the millions who live in flats, particularly in social housing.

The plan’s headline goals are sweeping: halve emissions from residential buildings by 2035 and bring all homes to EPC band C by 2030. Yet flats - which make up a substantial share of the housing stock - rarely feature as more than an afterthought. Without more tailored thinking, there is a danger that the Warm Homes agenda will succeed first in leafy suburbs, and only much later in dense urban blocks.

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Thermal Comfort Retrofit Society 2.0 Policy & Regulation

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