If the government is serious about reducing emissions from UK housing, it should spend more time on existing housing stock, according to Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) managing director Chris Pateman.
“The greatest opportunities for merchants, for contractors and for carbon-saving in the longer term lie within the repair, maintenance and improvement sector,” Mr Pateman told the BMF All Industry Conference held in Tenerife last month.
“The upgrading of existing UK housing stock (the vast majority of which is pre-second world war) to improve energy efficiency is a massive undertaking and the potential market place is huge. Merchants have the skills and the supplier relationships to make it easy for consumers and establish their place on the zero carbon road through their product and service offering.”
