Low carbon homes and buildings
Buildings contribute around 42% to Brighton & Hove's carbon footprint, or 514,000 tonnes per year.
To continue to reduce emissions we need to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. By using low and zero carbon energy technologies and district heat and power systems we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions even further. Becoming more aware of energy use and adapting our behaviour can deliver significant carbon reductions.
Planning for the risks and opportunities of climate change is also important, ensuring planning policies and decisions help to build city resilience.
Brighton & Hove has around 253,000 residents, living in some 123,000 homes.
The age profile of Brighton & Hove's housing is older than the national picture with 66% built before 1945 compared to 43% in England as a whole. Many of the older homes have solid walls so it's harder to improve energy efficiency.
There are significantly more converted flats, low and high-rise purpose built flats and medium/large terraced houses, with fewer bungalows, detached, semi-detached and small terraced houses.
There are fewer owner occupied homes (62% compared to 71% for England) and a significantly higher privately rented sector at 23% compared to 11% in England.
Because of these characteristics many of the private sector properties are seen as ‘hard to treat' in relation to standard energy efficiency measures, and the number of heritage buildings in the city is also a factor in this.
In the council housing stock the current Standard Assessment Procedure for energy rating of dwellings (SAP) rating of 76.4 puts the city in the top quartile of performance in this indicator.
Much of this information is taken from the Private Sector House Condition Survey carried out in 2008.