Failure in energy efficiency tests could mean increases in council tax or buildings insurance, say government advisers
Alok Jha, Green technology correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday November 26 2008 17.06 GMT
Image photo of a badly insulated house, in which the white, red and yellow colour bands highlight significant heat loss. Photographer: Home Heat Helpline/PA
Homes and offices should have regular "MoT-style" tests to rate their energy efficiency, according to experts, in a bid to meet the government's ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Those that fail to meet required standards could see their council tax or buildings insurance rise, suggests Foresight, the government's scientific thinktank.
A Foresight report published today tackles the issue of how the UK's buildings can cut their carbon emissions. The energy used to power buildings is responsible for more than half of the UK's carbon emissions. The two-year study brought together more than 150 academics and industry experts in economics, energy technologies, planning, construction, and social sciences.
Experts believe that urgent action is needed if the government is going to meet the emissions targets — 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 — outlined in the forthcoming climate change bill.
One of the Foresight group's main recommendations is to raise awareness of the use of energy in buildings. "The idea is to get people to think about energy use in the home and how well their homes and offices perform on a frequent and regular basis, like we do with a car MOT," said Yvonne Rydin, co-director of University College of London's Environment Institute and leader of the technical team that drafted the Foresight report.
"If you're going to take the car MoT analogy forward," she added. "You could say that building insurance would be dependent on reaching a certain standard. That would concentrate people's minds."
Until now, said the experts, most people are unaware of their energy use until they get their bills at the end of every month or every quarter. Foresight say smart meters — which display household energy use in real time, should be widely installed.
"They can tell you how much energy you're using, they can tell you how much it's costing and even [what devices] it's coming from," said Rydin. "It means making energy efficiency more visible so people can see how much they're getting back from this."
Though the government has set targets for all new housebuilding to be zero-carbon by 2016, it is estimated that almost 70% of the dwellings that will be standing in 2050 are already built today. "This means urgent action is needed to improve the energy performance of this existing building stock if we are to meet the emissions-reductions targets," said Rydin.
John Beddington, the government's chief scientific adviser and director of the Foresight programme, said that retrofitting older homes to make them energy efficient was a critical task. "Homes built in the future will be more carbon neutral, however, the vast majority of buildings pre-date our awareness of emissions and climate change — these are where quick-wins can be achieved."
The Foresight report also concluded that the UK was "locked in" to using certain types of energy, such as coal and gas, because of historical dominance rather than because they were most carbon efficient. Introducing new sources of renewable energy or efficiency measures had to work hard to fight against the established methods.
It therefore recommended that decentralising energy systems might help smaller-scale technologies to get a foothold. This includes solar hot water panels on homes, a combined heat and power system for a block of flats, or a larger renewable power plant in a city centre or a rural area.
Energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, said the Foresight report was a valuable contribution to the energy debate. "We will be building on current policies supporting individuals and communities as they develop secure, low-carbon energy supplies and retrofit buildings. Already, we're introducing legislation to provide real incentives for those installing small-scale renewable electricity and heat technologies."
Margaret Beckett, minister for housing, said: "We need to be taking action now if we are to succeed in hitting our targets. Today's report provides valuable advice on the roles both government and the general public can play in tackling one of the most pressing issues facing the entire world."
The Department for Communities and Local Government will now go through the report's findings and decide which parts should be incorporated into government policy. It plans to report on progress in a year's time.
Alok Jha, Green technology correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday November 26 2008 17.06 GMT
Image photo of a badly insulated house, in which the white, red and yellow colour bands highlight significant heat loss. Photographer: Home Heat Helpline/PA
Homes and offices should have regular "MoT-style" tests to rate their energy efficiency, according to experts, in a bid to meet the government's ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Those that fail to meet required standards could see their council tax or buildings insurance rise, suggests Foresight, the government's scientific thinktank.
A Foresight report published today tackles the issue of how the UK's buildings can cut their carbon emissions. The energy used to power buildings is responsible for more than half of the UK's carbon emissions. The two-year study brought together more than 150 academics and industry experts in economics, energy technologies, planning, construction, and social sciences.
Experts believe that urgent action is needed if the government is going to meet the emissions targets — 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 — outlined in the forthcoming climate change bill.
One of the Foresight group's main recommendations is to raise awareness of the use of energy in buildings. "The idea is to get people to think about energy use in the home and how well their homes and offices perform on a frequent and regular basis, like we do with a car MOT," said Yvonne Rydin, co-director of University College of London's Environment Institute and leader of the technical team that drafted the Foresight report.
"If you're going to take the car MoT analogy forward," she added. "You could say that building insurance would be dependent on reaching a certain standard. That would concentrate people's minds."
Until now, said the experts, most people are unaware of their energy use until they get their bills at the end of every month or every quarter. Foresight say smart meters — which display household energy use in real time, should be widely installed.
"They can tell you how much energy you're using, they can tell you how much it's costing and even [what devices] it's coming from," said Rydin. "It means making energy efficiency more visible so people can see how much they're getting back from this."
Though the government has set targets for all new housebuilding to be zero-carbon by 2016, it is estimated that almost 70% of the dwellings that will be standing in 2050 are already built today. "This means urgent action is needed to improve the energy performance of this existing building stock if we are to meet the emissions-reductions targets," said Rydin.
John Beddington, the government's chief scientific adviser and director of the Foresight programme, said that retrofitting older homes to make them energy efficient was a critical task. "Homes built in the future will be more carbon neutral, however, the vast majority of buildings pre-date our awareness of emissions and climate change — these are where quick-wins can be achieved."
The Foresight report also concluded that the UK was "locked in" to using certain types of energy, such as coal and gas, because of historical dominance rather than because they were most carbon efficient. Introducing new sources of renewable energy or efficiency measures had to work hard to fight against the established methods.
It therefore recommended that decentralising energy systems might help smaller-scale technologies to get a foothold. This includes solar hot water panels on homes, a combined heat and power system for a block of flats, or a larger renewable power plant in a city centre or a rural area.
Energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, said the Foresight report was a valuable contribution to the energy debate. "We will be building on current policies supporting individuals and communities as they develop secure, low-carbon energy supplies and retrofit buildings. Already, we're introducing legislation to provide real incentives for those installing small-scale renewable electricity and heat technologies."
Margaret Beckett, minister for housing, said: "We need to be taking action now if we are to succeed in hitting our targets. Today's report provides valuable advice on the roles both government and the general public can play in tackling one of the most pressing issues facing the entire world."
The Department for Communities and Local Government will now go through the report's findings and decide which parts should be incorporated into government policy. It plans to report on progress in a year's time.
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