The government has launched an energy efficiency taskforce to drive investment in improving the performance of buildings, a move welcomed by the Building Engineering Services Association1. The taskforce is co-chaired by Alison Rose, chief executive of NatWest, and energy security and net zero minister Lord Callanan1. It will devise a plan to cut energy consumption in domestic, commercial and industrial buildings by 15% by 2030 compared with 2021 levels1.
The government is putting a total of £12.6bn behind the plan this decade, with £6.6bn allocated during this Parliament and the rest from 20251. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt believes energy efficiency could be worth £1 trillion to UK businesses between now and 2030, and emphasised its importance to energy security, economic growth and the delivery of net zero1.
"Improving energy efficiency will not only drive a lower carbon environment, but also deliver greater economic security through lower bills for people, families, and businesses."
BESA said energy efficiency measures could be rapidly scaled up through a national programme of building retrofits, which would put the built environment at the heart of economic growth and the government's net zero strategy1. It urged the taskforce to make training and recruitment a key focus for investment to address the green skills gap that could undermine the wider strategy1.
BESA's technical director Graeme Fox said the target is for 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028, which he described as about ten times what is being done now1. A recent Energy Systems Catapult report found that just 2% of workers in the heating industry were female and only 5% were from an ethnic background, and said this lack of diversity was undermining efforts to decarbonise heating and hot water in buildings1.
Why it matters for households
The taskforce's remit covers domestic buildings alongside commercial and industrial ones, so the plan it produces is intended to bear on how much energy homes use and, by extension, on bills1. Rose framed improved energy efficiency as a route to lower bills for people, families and businesses as well as a lower carbon environment1. The £12.6bn figure is the total the government says it is putting behind the plan this decade, split between £6.6bn in this Parliament and the remainder from 20251. The 15% reduction is measured against 2021 levels and applies across domestic, commercial and industrial buildings, not homes alone1.
The skills figures point to a constraint on delivery. BESA said the building engineering sector will be pivotal to delivering improvements but needs help to develop a workforce capable of keeping pace with government targets1. The 600,000 heat pump installations a year targeted for 2028 is about ten times the current rate, according to Fox1. The diversity figures come from an Energy Systems Catapult report, which BESA cited in arguing that the taskforce should build promotion of the sector and green training programmes into its strategic plan1.
The taskforce's membership beyond its two co-chairs, its meeting schedule and the date its plan is due have not been reported1.
What happens next
The taskforce will devise a plan to cut building energy consumption by 15% by 2030 compared with 2021 levels1. Funding beyond the £6.6bn allocated during this Parliament is due from 20251. The heat pump installation target cited is 600,000 a year by 20281. No dates for the plan's publication or for interim milestones have been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- Taskforce can unlock £1trn energy efficiency market, thebesa.com