Working From Home Could Lead to a Housing Emissions Crisis, Royal Institute of British Architects Warns

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a paradigm shift in how the world works, ushering in the widespread adoption of digital technologies. In the U.K., a new report by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) warns of a potential pitfall of the dramatic shift: housing emissions. RIBA is warning the government that the increase in people working from home will lead to an emissions crisis unless energy efficiency is upgraded. “We need urgent government action—a National Retrofit Strategy—with front-loaded spending that would double as a fiscal stimulus and a new stamp duty policy to encourage homeowners to think twice about opting for substandard homes,” says RIBA President Alan Jones, warning the country’s housing stock is the least energy efficient in Europe. “When it comes to energy efficiency, our homes are below the mark.” The U.K. has a target of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.