A landmark report has been submitted to Government by the UK Green Building Council, which makes recommendations for how to achieve 3 goals:
-
a major reduction in CO2 emissions from the household sector
-
a reduction in consumers’ spiralling energy bills
-
a huge increase in green collar jobs in the home refurbishment market.
The report is the result of an unprecedented level of co-operation between industry, government agencies and pressure groups, with around 1000 organisations consulted. The project has been led by the UK Green Building Council with support from the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, the Sustainable Development Commission and the Technology Strategy Board.
Government itself has part-funded the research, in advance of the Low Carbon Homes strategy it committed to recently.
The top 5 recommendations are:
-
Government should commit to at least an 80 per cent cut in CO2 from UK households by 2050, with interim targets every 5 years along the way. This will help create a market for low energy/low carbon homes, that allows the industry to invest and plan ahead to deliver energy efficiency products and services.
-
Householders should have access to a ‘Whole Home Energy Plan’ – a plan for how to do low carbon refurbishment and which measures should be taken out, when. This needs to be based on much better information and advice on finding accredited installers and how and where to access grants and finance.
-
There needs to be a fundamentally new way for consumers to fund energy efficiency improvements to their home, which spread the cost of upfront measures over time, saving money on energy bills straight away. There are several viable alternatives on which Government should consult.
-
There needs to be a big push to train builders and tradesmen, to give them the skills needed to carry out green refurbishment projects at the same time as standard building work. This is a potentially huge area of jobs and growth – potentially a £5bn market per year creating tens of thousands of jobs.
-
Government should consult on whether regulation should be used to ensure the worst performing homes are upgraded over time. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) could be used as the basis for this.
UK-GBC and project partners believe that the upcoming consultation on energy efficiency, expected later in the year and currently being developed by the Office of Climate Change, should explore these recommendations in more detail. That consultation will lead to the Low Carbon Homes strategy – a key part of Government’s response to the recent announcement of the Climate Change Committee that the UK should cut it’s emissions by 80% by 2050.
Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council said:
“For too long we've been throwing our money out of the window, either indifferent about our energy bills, or completely turned off by the hassle and upfront cost of energy efficiency improvements. Spiralling fuel costs and concern about climate change now call for a revolution in attitude and approach - we can and must make it easy and affordable for everyone to slash their household bills and carbon emissions.”
Mark Brown, director of the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes:
“To meet ambitious carbon saving targets in the housing sector, we need a confident delivery supply chain that will invest in the necessary capacity and skills. The current myriad of incentive schemes, funding programmes and policy drivers has not made it easy for the supply chain to deliver effectively and for householders to take action. This intensive stakeholder consultation has emphasised the need for a coordinated approach and some strong leadership by Government.”
Russell Smith, Parity Projects (UK-GBC member, home renovation company and skills and training provider):
“Householders need a pathway, for how to move forward with energy saving measures in clear, practical steps. Having builders in for other work is an ideal time to get energy efficiency measures done and minimise disruption. Our homes will be here for a very long time, and changes will inevitably be made across a number of owners. Once a plan is in place it should stay there, to provide the following owner with the information they need to pick up from where the previous owner left off. This will mean co-operation between householders, tradesmen and local authorities over the coming years.”
Chris Matthews, Senior Business Development, Renewable Energy Asset Finance, The Co-operative Bank:
“We already know our customers care about climate change, but they are also becoming increasingly concerned about their rising household bills. We believe that our customers are now looking for a way to act on both of these issues, and with the right kind of leadership from government, and the support of businesses like The Co-operative Bank, we can make it simpler and more affordable for them.”
