The UK Government needs to develop the right political mechanisms before an effective energy efficiency programme can be delivered. That is the conclusion of the report ‘How to organise a real energy efficiency programme’ published by the campaigning organisation 100percentrenewableuk.
Among a range of recommendations the report says that energy efficiency needs to be made a key responsibility of a Minister of State, there needs to be a senior civil servant and Directorate assigned to energy efficiency policy and delivery and a programme needs to be developed in consultation and coordination with the relevant energy efficiency industries and trades. None of these things are present in current policy. The report examines how effective energy efficiency programmes were delivered earlier this century, and finds that attempts to organise energy efficiency since then have been fatally undermined, not just by a lack of resources, but a failure of political organisation and reliance on consultants rather than consultation with the industries and trades involved in energy efficiency.
Andrew Warren, the Chair of the British Energy Efficiency Federation commented:
‘Don’t announce a big new Programme without setting up a long term mechanism which involves training people to do the job and also building up the number of companies able to deliver the targets. The Green Homes Grant (set up in 2020 but quickly cancelled) could have worked if the Government had focussed on how the programmes could be delivered.’
The report calculates that the carbon energy reduction target programme for energy efficiency organised from 2008-2021 involved measures with a payback for consumers of 4 years and delivers savings 1.5 times the size of the UK’s annual electricity demand. A similar programme organised in the 2020s would be delivering over £1 billion in savings every year for many years after 4 years whilst a government investment in Sizewell C would see consumers paying a nuclear tax on bills towards Sizewell C’s construction for well over a decade.
Alison Downes of Stop Sizewell C said ‘It is absurd that the Government wants to lock desperately stretched households into paying for many years for a very expensive new nuclear power station when energy efficiency investments are by comparison more reliable and will bring much earlier benefits to consumers’.
Dr David Toke who wrote the report said ‘The Government needs to look at how effective energy efficiency programmes have been organised in the past. Currently, the responsibility lies with only a Parliamentary Undersecretary and there are no senior civil servants involved in the delivery. No attempt is being made to consult with or train the industries needed to deliver an effective programme.’
The report can be accessed HERE
Come to the Green Buildings webinar on Wednesday 16th November at 6pm to discuss the campaign for energy efficiency and mandatory solar pv and banning of fossil fuels in new buildings. Speakers: Kevin Holland, Managing Director of Solar Shed will talk about ‘Why Everyone needs solar pv’. Emily Rice, Scotland Policy Analyst for Solar Energy UK will talk about ‘the role regulation has played in Scotland’s solar new build success’. Andrew Warren, Chair of the British Energy Efficiency Federation (BEEF), will talk about ‘How we can do a real energy efficiency programme’ and David Toke of 100percentrenewableuk will talk about the new report ‘How to organise a real energy efficiency programme’. REGISTER FOR THE FREE WEBINAR HERE
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