Retrofitting Surrey’s housing stock to reach net zero: lessons from the Passivhaus approach

As a county Surrey aims to reach ‘net-zero’ by 2050, reflected in the over-arching climate change strategy and individual Local Authority targets. Households are responsible for producing around 40% greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, therefore measures to reduce these emissions will be highly valuable in reaching net-zero targets. 80% of the housing stock that will exist in 2050 has already been built today, making effective retrofit crucial to meeting carbon neutrality goals.

This report investigates the feasibility of adopting the ‘Passivhaus standard’ to retrofitting the Surrey housing stock. The Passivhaus standard is an ambitious ‘fabric first’ approach that produces dwellings with high levels of occupant comfort using very little energy for heating or cooling. Applying this standard to retrofitting has it complexities and the report explores the physical constraints and considerations that should be taken into account for anyone looking to reduce the energy use of their property.

Read the full report to find out more.