Government heralds energy efficiency revolution

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced a new strategy of energy efficiency measures with a view to cutting the UK’s energy usage by 11% by 2020. The new strategy sets out four barriers to energy efficiency improvements namely:

1. An underdeveloped market; 2. Lack of information on energy efficiency; 3. Financial incentives that are not aligned with the party making the improvement; and 4. Additional works involved in installing such measures.

The strategy calls for improvements in the commercial, industrial and public sector industries. As such the DECC will fund a nationwide roll-out of London’s RE:FIT program for public buildings. The roll out will seek to reduce the risk, cost and time taken for public buildings to install measures for alternative energy sources through the use of an energy-service company (ESCO) financing model.

At the announcement, a spokeswoman for DECC told Business Green:

“The nationwide roll-out will be worth £0.75 million and will be delivered in association with Local Partnerships and the Government Procurement Service.” In addition the DECC has proposed rolling-out its Green Deal to include businesses of all sizes together with including “products other than fabric measures”.

The Department went on to announce an investment of £39 million in End Use Energy Demand Centres to research into how both businesses and consumers can save more energy through their behaviours. A further launch of product-labels on household appliances detailing the life time running costs has been taken up by John Lewis.

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said:

“The strategy is aimed to connect finance with demand, encourage innovation, and make energy efficiency information more accessible to the consumer."

"We need to excite people with the opportunities that energy efficiency brings and show them that saving energy not only cuts emissions, but supports green jobs, innovation and enterprise. There is so much potential in this area and that is why it is so important we have a clear plan of action - now, next year and over the coming decades."

It is anticipates that these measures could reduce energy consumption by 11% by the end of the decade, equivalent to 22 power stations (196TWh). A further 41 megatonnes of CO2 emissions could also be saved by 2020.

Richard Knight, Deputy Chief Engineer at Energy Technologies Institute:

“We have consistently said that energy efficiency is a key development priority for the UK and it is good to see more formulised thinking published in this area. It is something that all players in the low carbon arena need to make a contribution towards as the cheapest energy is the energy that we do not actually use.”