In early 2021 South East Consortium (SEC) began their first programme of research projects with the aim of tackling three challenging topics impacting the housing sector.

SEC launched the final guidance document from their Climate Challenge working group in March 2022. The Sustainable Homes Matrix sets out a sustainable approach to delivering homes that are fit for the future with residents in mind, beyond Net Zero.

The initial area to address was aligning to a common goal. Early on, the group citied 25+ definitions of Zero Carbon in the sector. By the end of last year they had identified more than 72.

David Smith, Head of Business Partnerships – SEC said “2050 is really not that far away so it’s going to be a race to get there. Not a 100m sprint, but no longer a marathon either. If we stick the entire housing sector in the starting blocks for this decarbonisation race and present 72 finish lines, what you have is chaos. This is not supportive for Registered Providers, the supply chain, or more importantly those living in our homes and facing ever rising energy bills.”

The report includes the approach to both retrofit and new build from the boardroom to the end consumers doorstep. The matrix works together to ensure readers understand the interrelated steps to achieving sustainable homes and how organisations can act and invest at every stage, changing behaviours to achieve better quality outcomes.

The Matrix is an accumulation of many hours of collaboration between stakeholders from across the network – including industry leaders, academics, consultants, contractors and colleagues from Registered Providers all passionate about tackling the climate challenge.

You can download a copy of the final report here – Launching our Sustainable Homes Matrix – building & maintaining sustainable homes – South East Consortium