The UK is slipping behind on its its over-arching carbon reduction targets and needs to boost uptake of low carbon heat technology and raise its ambitions on the energy efficiency of domestic stock, according to the latest progress report from the government’s Committee on Climate Change.
The report – available to download here http://www.theccc.org.uk/publications/ – says that, under the current rate of progress, the UK will fail to meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% from 1990 levels.
It suggests that a continuation of current policies would result in a 21-23% reduction of emissions between 2013 and 2025, when a 31% reduction is required.
The CCC believes that “the cost of closing this gap is affordable, through a combination of changes on the demand and supply sides for electricity, transport and heat, based on low-carbon technologies that are currently available, supported by some behaviour change.
“Carbon reduction in buildings is not only the most cost effective way of tacking climate change, but it also protects both households and businesses from soaring energy bills. Time is running out for the current government to grasp this.”
Paul King, UK Green Building Council
“However, achieving this will require further strengthening of policies – including those for residential and commercial energy efficiency, electrification of heat and transport, and power sector decarbonisation.”
The CCC report points to a dramatic drop in the number of homes being insulated, as the result of the switch over to the Green Deal and low initial take up: just 170,000 homes were given cavity wall insulation in 2013, compared to 600,000 in 2012.
The report, however, endorses the recent redesign of the ECO programme, saying that its focus on lower cost measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation is welcome.
But it adds that “the ambition for carbon reduction for this policy has been cut significantly and is low relative to underlying potential and funding; ambition should therefore be increased”.
The report highlights the case for boosting uptake of low-carbon heating in the residential sector, from renewable sources of district heating systems, pointing out that the Renewable Heat Incentive has seen low take-up even though it offers relatively generous incentives.
The authors say that the subsidy should not be increased, but that the RHI should be extended beyond its current cut-off date of 2020. Also, there should be consistent policy efforts to overcome financial and non-financial barriers to uptake of renewable heating systems.
And the report also urges far wider uptake of energy efficiency solutions in the commercial sector, and says that the complex landscape of government initiatives in this area should be simplified to just one scheme.
Responding to the report, Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said: “While government has clearly made good progress on some of its efforts to cut carbon, the committee exposes the lack of headway on energy efficiency within our buildings, and in particular, an unravelling of the previous good work on home energy efficiency.
“This is ironic given that carbon reduction in buildings is not only the most cost effective way of tacking climate change, but it also protects both households and businesses from soaring energy bills.
“Time is running out for the current government to grasp this and to deliver on crucial policy areas such as zero carbon homes and minimum energy performance standards in commercial buildings.”
