- 87 per cent of people say homes constructed from fire-resistant materials are important
- 90 per cent of people rate construction of their home from materials that protect against water ingress and escape as important
- 68 per cent of owners have no plans to retrofit their homes while the same proportion are unlikely to install a heat pump in their home in the next five years
As the UK aims to deliver 1.5 million new homes this parliament, the British public have stressed to government, housebuilders and registered providers the importance of homes built with materials that are fire-resistant and protect against water ingress and escape.
The findings from Homes 2025, a UK Concrete survey of 5,000 people including homeowners and renters, indicate that fire resilience is a key issue for the public, with 87 per cent saying that having their home constructed from fire-resistant materials was important.
While people place a high value on the building materials that make up their homes, only 14 per cent of people received information about the materials their home is made from when they moved in.
In a changing climate, 90 per cent of people rate construction of their home from materials that protect against water ingress and escapes as important.
Elaine Toogood, senior director, UK Concrete & The Concrete Centre, MPA comments: “The housing debate is dominated by completion rates rather than focused on the priorities of the people that are going to live in – and ultimately buy and rent – new homes. This report underlines the value that people put on the fabric quality and performance of their home to deliver energy efficiency but also to protect against damp, mould, flooding and fire.
“Prospective buyers want to make informed purchasing decisions and so educating people about the fire safety and climate resilience of the materials used to construct their home should be a requirement for the next generation of housing.
“With housebuilding at scale central to the government’s growth agenda, new homes must be delivered with a focus on quality construction. Industry can do this by prioritising masonry materials that are heavyweight, non-combustible, energy-efficient and protect against water ingress and fire, so that the UK can create homes that are fit for the future and actually wanted.”
The report also provides housebuilders and registered providers with insight on sustainability measures. According to the research, the cost-of-living crisis has made 68 per cent of homeowners and renters in the UK more aware of how energy efficient their current home is compared to two years ago, however 68 per cent of owners have no plans to retrofit their homes or are unlikely to install a heat pump in the next five years.
The findings suggest that while the public see energy efficiency as a means to reduce energy costs, only 26 per cent of people said they were motivated to retrofit their home in the next five years to reduce their carbon footprint.
To support the transition to net zero, the government is set to require new build homes to be installed with heat pumps powered by electricity instead of gas boilers when the Future Homes Standard is introduced later this year.
With homes in England worth an average of 7.7 times a median income in 2024*, 64 per cent of respondents say ‘affordability’ should be the government and housebuilding industry’s priority for new homes built in the next five years.
There remains public scepticism that these homes can be built, with only 14 per cent of people confident that government and industry will meet their target of 1.5 million homes during the next parliament.
