The independent Climate Change Committee published its 2022 Progress Report to Parliament on 29 June 2022, a 600-page assessment finding major failures in delivery programmes towards the UK's climate goals1. The report makes over 300 recommendations for filling out policies over the next year1.
The CCC's new monitoring framework divides the UK's required emissions reductions for the Sixth Carbon Budget in the mid-2030s into three parts: credible Government plans exist for over a third; "with a fair wind we will manage another quarter"; and over a third cannot be relied on to deliver the necessary emissions reductions1. UK emissions are now almost half (47%) their 1990 levels, having risen 4% in 2021 as the economy recovered from COVID-19 but remaining 10% below 2019 levels1. Emissions from electricity generation have fallen by nearly 70% in the last decade1.
On homes, the report states that the UK continues to have some of the leakiest homes in Europe and that installations of insulation remain at rock bottom1. It puts the average annual energy bill for UK households at around £40 higher than if insulation rates from pre-2012 had continued for the last decade1. Government promised significant public spending in 2019 and committed to new policies last year, neither of which has yet occurred1. The CCC's recommendations include a public energy advice service by summer 2022, a long-term regulatory standard for social homes to reach EPC C by 2028, legislation for privately rented homes in England and Wales to reach EPC C by 2030, and new policies for owner-occupied homes to reach EPC C by 20352. It also calls for plans ensuring heat pumps will be cheaper to run than gas boilers2.
"The UK is a champion in setting new climate goals, now we must be world-beaters in delivering them. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the country is crying out to end its dependence on expensive fossil fuels. I welcome the Government's restated commitment to Net Zero, but holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently. The window to deliver real progress is short. We are eagle-eyed for the promised action."
Heat pump manufacturer NIBE, responding to the report, said the installation rate of heat pumps must increase ten-fold over the next six years, citing a 47% rise in heat pump installations in 2021 and the Government's target of 600,000 annual installations by 20283. The CCC report itself does not give that ten-fold figure or the 47% rise; those come from NIBE's commentary3.
Why it matters for households
The report links the condition of the housing stock directly to bills. A home that has missed a decade of insulation improvements carries an average annual energy bill around £40 higher than it otherwise would1. For a household weighing up energy efficiency measures, the report's finding is that the policy framework intended to support that work has not yet been delivered, with promised spending and new policies still outstanding1. The CCC also notes there is no public engagement strategy three years after the Net Zero target was signed into law, and that HM Treasury has yet to set out how the costs and benefits of the transition will be shared1. The carbon budgets and targets that frame these recommendations sit within the wider regulation and policy landscape.
What happens next
The report sets dated recommendations, including a public energy advice service by summer 2022, a response to the consultation on phasing out fossil fuel heating in homes off the gas grid ahead of 2026, and finalised plans to phase out boiler replacements in off-grid non-residential buildings from 20242. It also calls for the Future Homes Standard to be fully implemented by 20252. The CCC notes the Government has promised a land use framework for next year1. Whether these commitments are met has not been reported.