The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) launched its guide to Net Zero at its Roadshow, the trade body's own account of the event states1. The launch is listed among the ECA's activity on its Safe Transition to Net Zero page, which sets out the association's positions on electrification, energy taxation and installation standards1.
The page states that the UK is legally bound to be a net zero emitter by 2050, and sets out three dated milestones: clean electricity generation and grid capacity meeting increased demand in 2030, an end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2035, and net zero in 20501. It also states that electricity is taxed four times more than gas, which it attributes to what it calls an outdated energy levy model1.
The ECA's stated asks include a review of fuel levies to bring parity between gas and electricity, a reduction in the price of electricity, equivalent safety, product and competence standards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and incentives based on carbon reduction outcomes rather than a specific technology1. It also calls for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to be expanded to include the installation of low carbon heating devices, and for end users to have access to independent advice on onsite generation and electrical energy storage1.
"ECA has launched its Safe Energy Transition Charter, calling for faster clean electrification across heat, transport and power"
The page records a series of related positions. It states that the ECA welcomed the Government's commitment to cheaper electricity while warning that accelerating electrification must not compromise safety, and that it welcomed the Future Homes and Buildings Standards for driving lower carbon, energy efficient homes while warning that unsafe "plug in solar" products must not undermine electrical safety1. On skills, it states that the ECA welcomes Skills England's push to boost low carbon skills in EV, solar PV and storage, but raises concerns that fast tracked apprenticeship units risk undermining electrical safety1. On the Warm Homes Plan, it states that missing electrotechnical expertise, weak apprenticeship support and no installer representation threaten the Plan's successful delivery1.
The page also records that the ECA and over 50 organisations called on the government to reduce electricity levies, and that the ECA and eight trade associations representing 4,000 businesses called on the government to honour a £13.2 million Warm Homes Plan pledge1. A separate entry refers to a letter urging the government to honour a manifesto commitment to invest £13.2bn in the Warm Homes Plan1. The two figures are given differently on the same page and are not reconciled there.
Why it matters for households
The guide concerns the standards and costs that sit behind home electrification: who installs low carbon heating, solar and storage, and how safely. The ECA's position is that safety, product and competence standards should apply to all new technologies, and that unsuitable technology can carry safety implications, increase energy use and reduce consumer trust1. It also states that safe and efficient systems need ongoing maintenance, and that this is often left out of the cost or energy outcomes of low carbon installations1.
On running costs, the association's claim that electricity is taxed four times more than gas underpins its call for levy reform, which it links to the price households pay for power1. For a home considering solar PV and battery storage, the guide's emphasis falls on independent advice and on installation by a competent person rather than on any particular product.
What happens next
No date is given on the page for publication of the guide itself beyond its listing at the Roadshow1. The page carries dated entries for other ECA activity, including a response to the Government's consultation on plug-in solar panels, and entries dated to 2026 covering the Safe Energy Transition Charter, Skills England, the Future Homes and Buildings Standards and the Warm Homes Plan1. The Future Homes Standard and the energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes in Scotland are among the policy areas covered elsewhere on this site.
Sources1 cited
- A Safe Transition to Net Zero, eca.co.uk