March 10, 2003—The British government’s Energy White Paper, published on February 24, sets out its goals and targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by 60% by 2050. In achieving this long-term target, and an intermediate target of reductions of 15-25 Million tons of Carbon (MtC) by 2020, energy efficiency is identified as delivering half of the necessary improvements.
For the first time, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is identified as the cheapest, cleanest, and safest way of achieving the government’s policy objectives—a view that Building Research Establishment (BRE), owned by the Foundation for the Built Environment, strongly endorses. However, BRE warns that there is a real risk that this important commitment will be forgotten in the more contentious argument associated with nuclear, renewable, and conventional electricity generation.
Of the energy efficiency improvements needed (beyond those already committed as part of the Climate Change Programme) half are expected to come from households and half from business and the public sector. This implies a very challenging doubling of the rate of energy efficiency improvements achieved over the past 30 years.
The White Paper identifies a number of measures that the government proposes to use to achieve these aims. Those related to buildings include:
- Extending (to possibly twice the current level) the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) which requires fuel utilities to support measures such as the installation of cavity wall insulation in dwellings and possibly extending the EEC to cover some non-domestic customers.
- Bringing forward to 2005 the next revision of Part L of the Building Regulations, to further tighten standards for all new buildings, refurbishments, and improvements such as boiler replacements.
- Increasing the funding available for grant support to renewable energy generation.
- Developing the emissions trading scheme on an EU-wide basis.
- Linking the drive to a low carbon future to the wider work on sustainable construction—in particular looking at opportunities for carbon reduction associated with off-site construction.
- Developing the energy services market as a means for providing efficient services to a range of customers.
The White Paper also highlights the benefits of community heating schemes and of the use of local renewable generation.
-Based on a release from BRE
