Climate Change Committee partners with Kamma in Seventh Carbon Budget

Kamma is proud to announce its collaboration with the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in providing critical data and analytics for the UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget.

Decarbonising residential buildings, which account for 12% of the UK’s emissions, is critical to reaching net zero. Commissioned by the CCC, Kamma has developed a comprehensive archetype dataset representing the UK housing stock, supporting the nation’s decarbonisation pathway for 29 million properties.

The dataset played a pivotal role in modelling the transition to low-carbon heating in existing residential buildings, ensuring that government policies and investment decisions are informed by the most accurate and representative housing data available.

Building the archetype dataset for UK residential property

Kamma’s dataset combined millions of property datapoints and deployed a proprietary predictive modelling system to estimate characteristics of properties that were missing.

Through an advanced hierarchical clustering process, similar archetypes were merged to ensure the dataset remains manageable while effectively representing the heterogeneity of UK housing.

Each of the 11,000+ archetypes includes key attributes such as region, typology, size, energy use, heating system, tenure and levels of roof, wall, and floor insulation.

Read about the full methodology used to produce the dataset.

Driving actionable climate policy for the UK government

The Seventh Carbon Budget is a crucial step in achieving the UK’s legally binding net zero target, setting the recommended level for a legally binding emissions cap for the UK between 2038 and 2042. The accompanying advice forms a pathway for emissions reduction from now to 2050, informed by economic modelling of feasible abatement strategies across different sectors.

By providing the CCC with granular, high-quality data, Kamma is enabling policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders to make data-driven decisions that accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment.

“We’re thrilled to have provided the Climate Change Committee with critical data and analytics for the Seventh Carbon Budget.

Accurate property data is critical to smarter decisions for government and property-related businesses. Together, we’re providing the UK’s decarbonisation pathway for residential property and accelerating towards net zero.”

Orla Shields, CEO & Co-Founder, Kamma

Key insights on residential buildings from the Seventh Carbon Budget

What does the Seventh Carbon Budget reveal about the path to net zero for UK property?

• Net zero is economically rational: While much investment is needed, investing now will ensure the UK is actually saving money by 2050.
• Heat pumps are key to decarbonisation but need incentives: Heat pumps are 3-4X more efficient than gas boilers and will drive much of the reduction in emissions, but remain underutilised due to policy and the cost of electricity. Shifting these costs would boost uptake.
• Low-carbon heating accounts for 66% of the required cuts: Matching adoption rates in Ireland and the Netherlands would get the UK on track.
• 4 in every 5 homes hinge on cost-effective upgrades: 83% of homes can reduce emissions with low-cost energy efficiency measures such as hot water tank insulation and draught-proofing, contributing to a national emissions reduction of 10% by 2040.
• Homeowners only need to invest where returns are clear: The majority of homes with lofts or cavity walls are already insulated to varying standards. 87% of cavity walls and all lofts should be insulated by mid 2030s, while costly solid wall insulation should be limited to just 15,000 homes by 2050.
• Grouping efficiency measures leads to compounding advantages: Insulating before installing a heat pump and adding solar PV amplifies savings, doing so early delivers greater ROI.

According to the Seventh Carbon Budget, emissions need to fall 66% by 2040, with homes almost entirely decarbonised by 2050.

Currently, the largest source of emissions (96%) is the use of fossil fuels for space heating and hot water. In 83% of homes, the cheapest way to cut emissions is through low-cost insulation and draught-proofing, which will help cut emissions, reduce fuel bills, and improve public health.

Electrification of heating is at the core of this shift to net zero. Heat pumps will be the dominant low-carbon heating solutions, accounting for 75% of low-carbon heating systems installed by 2040.

Despite the urgency, the UK lags behind other nations in rolling out heat pumps and energy efficiency upgrades. However, rapid progress is achievable with the right incentives.

Households need cheaper electricity, grants, and loans to make low-carbon heating accessible. Regulations, such as the proposed Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), must also ensure landlords invest in energy-efficient upgrades so tenants can benefit from lower bills and improved living conditions.

Scaling up this transition requires expanding the workforce to install and maintain heat pumps at scale. The domestic heating industry must rapidly train skilled professionals to meet growing demand. Without this, supply chain bottlenecks could slow progress and drive up costs, delaying the UK’s ability to decarbonise homes effectively.

Read more in section 7.2 of the Seventh Carbon Budget on residential buildings.

About Kamma

Kamma is a leading provider of geospatial property data and analytics, specialising in climate risk, retrofit solutions, and regulatory compliance.

By leveraging cutting-edge technology and proprietary modelling, Kamma helps governments, mortgage lenders, and property professionals navigate the transition to a net zero world.

Interested in learning more about the dataset driving decarbonisation decisions for UK property? Get in touch.