National ‘war effort’ mobilisation needed to improve energy efficiency

A new report from the Environmental Audit Committee has identified ‘significant gaps’ in the government’s British Energy Security Strategy and calls for a national mobilisation, or a kind of ‘war effort’, on energy saving and efficiency to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels and secure energy supplies.

The report ‘commends’ the government’s efforts to protect people and businesses this winter with subsidies on their energy bills.

However, the report claims that to deliver genuine energy security, the strategy should have placed far greater emphasis on energy saving measures, as this is the quickest way to reduce reliance on imports. It suggests ministers missed a window of opportunity during the warmer months to accelerate energy efficiency measures that could permanently protect citizens from the impact of volatile gas and oil prices.

The report notes that the number of energy efficiency installations in 2022 compares poorly with figures from government-backed energy efficiency schemes eight to 10 years ago.

In England alone, over 13 million (or 59 per cent) homes in England are below EPC rated C. The number of UK energy efficiency installations peaked in 2012 at 2.3 million, yet in 2021, fewer than 100,000 upgrades were installed. The Committee is calling for at least one million energy efficiency installations a year by 2025, with an ambitious target of 2.5 million properties a year by the end of the decade.

Such an effort would require funding, including investment in people to deliver this step change. A new Energy Efficiency Taskforce should be directed to estimate the levels of funding and workforce skills which will be needed. A proportion of the Energy Profits Levy should be allocated immediately to help fund energy efficiency improvements.

Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said: “The Government’s British Energy Security Strategy and its intervention to cap household energy prices should be praised. But there have been significant missed opportunities in recent months: the Government could have gone further and faster.

“To reduce the UK’s demand on fossil fuels, we must stop consuming more than we need. We must fix our leaky housing stock, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and wastes our constituents’ hard-earned cash: we must make homes warmer and retain heat for longer.

“The government’s welcome new Energy Efficiency Taskforce can lead a national mobilisation to install energy efficiency upgrades, which we would like to see achieve an initial target of a million homes a year and more than double this by the end of the decade. To help fund this, the government should funnel some of the revenue from the new Energy Profits Levy to crack on with the task at the earliest opportunity.

“The UK has enormous renewable energy potential and sectors such as offshore wind are booming. But more must be done to harness the opportunities which onshore wind, tidal and solar technologies provide. Developers should be required to fit solar panels on new homes as standard.

“The Committee has set out a number of clear recommendations to drive real change: I hope the government will act swiftly to implement them.”

The Committee has called for an update of the British Energy Security Strategy to be published in Spring 2023 indicating progress in reducing reliance on Russian imports, securing energy supplies and improving energy efficiency.