UKGBC responds to the Government’s announcements on its ‘Energy Security Day’

The Government has today doubled down on new clean energy generation, a positive stimulus at this febrile moment for energy security. But it has missed an opportunity by failing to publish a comprehensive national plan to curb the staggering levels of energy waste from our homes and buildings. Without this, we’re trapped into unsustainable demand for heat and electricity, making it extraordinarily difficult to see how we’ll pay our bills or hit our climate goals. 

“Initiatives such as the ECO+ scheme and extension to heat pump support, while welcome, will only reach a fraction of the 27 million homes that need retrofitting. Similarly, reforms to the planning system set out today do not include the net zero test recommended by Chris Skidmore MP. 

“As our climate emergency intensifies, the Government should be leading from the front by seizing the opportunities of a nationwide retrofit plan that would deliver £56 billion to the UK’s green economy, slash energy bills to save households £8bn every year and create 500,000 skilled jobs in a decade.  

“We hope that the Government makes use of the opportunities to get on track offered by the Energy Efficiency Taskforce and amendments to the planning system through the Levelling Up Bill.”

Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC

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