Make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority, business leaders tell Osborne
Energy efficiency news – by GreenWise staff
26th May 2015
Leaders of major UK companies, including Whitbread, BAM Construct, Willmott Dixon and Kingfisher, have called on George Osborne today to put energy efficiency at the heart of the Government’s economic plan.
An open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, published in The Daily Telegraph, and signed by leaders of 55 construction and property companies, urges the Government to include “bold energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets” in the Government’s long-term economic plan. Among other things, the letter recommends making energy efficiency an “national infrastructure priority” and for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016.
“Thousands of jobs” for small businesses
“Thousands of jobs” for small businesses
“Building energy efficiency stimulates economic activity, strengthens our international competitiveness and creates thousands of jobs across the UK, mostly with small local businesses,” the business leaders write in the letter.
“It lowers costs for businesses and householders, and reduces the burden on the NHS. And as a more cost effective means of meeting demand than building new generating capacity, it is also crucial in safeguarding our energy security.”
Osborne will deliver an emergency budget on July 8 to reveal how the Government will implement its austerity measures over the next Parliament, including £12 billion worth of cuts in welfare spending, following the Conservatives’ victory at the General election earlier this month. In its manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to “cut emissions as cost-effectively as possible” to meet the UK’s climate change targets.
Osborne will deliver an emergency budget on July 8 to reveal how the Government will implement its austerity measures over the next Parliament, including £12 billion worth of cuts in welfare spending, following the Conservatives’ victory at the General election earlier this month. In its manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to “cut emissions as cost-effectively as possible” to meet the UK’s climate change targets.
Long-term policies
While strongly welcoming the manifesto pledge, the business leaders say in the letter that to “continue to stimulate investment and innovation in building energy efficiency, the Government will need ambitious, long-term policies which provide a clear trajectory for our sector”.
Those include, recognising energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority and allocate infrastructure funds to catalyse a national programme to bring all UK homes up to EPC band C; delivering on the commitment for all new homes and all new non-domestic buildings to be zero carbon from 2016 and 2019 respectively; ensuring Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the commercial and private rented sector from 2018 are effectively enforced; outlining how the Government intends to meet the third and fourth carbon budgets, and introduce an ambitious fifth carbon budget.
Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC), which coordinated the letter, said: “Business leaders already recognise the importance of bold energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets – not simply because they’re the right thing to do, but because they generate real commercial value for their businesses.
“The new Government has a golden opportunity to put cost effective carbon reductions from buildings at the heart of its economic plan. Ambitious, long-term policies would drive major economic growth and job creation, reduce energy bills for homes and businesses, and strengthen the UK’s energy security. This is a win-win-win for people, the environment and the economy.”
The organisations and companies behind the letter are: UK-GBC; Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE); Affinity Sutton; Aggregate Industries UK; AkzoNobel UK; Aldersgate Group; Alliance for Sustainable Building Products; Argent (Property Development) Services LLP; Arup; Ask Property Developments; Atelier Ten; BAM Construct UK; Barratt Developments; Bennetts Associates; Better Buildings Partnership; Bilfinger GVA; Bouygues Development; BRE; British Council for Offices; British Council for Shopping Centres; British Property Federation; British Retail Consortium; BSW Timber; Cundall; EMEA, DTZ; E.ON UK; Energy Bill Revolution; Gentoo Group; Igloo Regeneration; Interface; JLL; Keepmoat; Kingfisher; Knauf Insulation Northern Europe; Lafarge Tarmac; Legal & General Property; Lend Lease; Mark Group; Marks and Spencer; Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK; National Housing Federation; Penoyre & Prasad; RIBA; Rickaby Thompson; Saint-Gobain; SEGRO; Sir Robert McAlpine; Sustainable Energy Association; Travis Perkins Group; UBM; UTC Building & Industrial Systems; Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants; Willmott Dixon; Worcester Bosch.
Those include, recognising energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority and allocate infrastructure funds to catalyse a national programme to bring all UK homes up to EPC band C; delivering on the commitment for all new homes and all new non-domestic buildings to be zero carbon from 2016 and 2019 respectively; ensuring Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the commercial and private rented sector from 2018 are effectively enforced; outlining how the Government intends to meet the third and fourth carbon budgets, and introduce an ambitious fifth carbon budget.
Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC), which coordinated the letter, said: “Business leaders already recognise the importance of bold energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets – not simply because they’re the right thing to do, but because they generate real commercial value for their businesses.
“The new Government has a golden opportunity to put cost effective carbon reductions from buildings at the heart of its economic plan. Ambitious, long-term policies would drive major economic growth and job creation, reduce energy bills for homes and businesses, and strengthen the UK’s energy security. This is a win-win-win for people, the environment and the economy.”
The organisations and companies behind the letter are: UK-GBC; Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE); Affinity Sutton; Aggregate Industries UK; AkzoNobel UK; Aldersgate Group; Alliance for Sustainable Building Products; Argent (Property Development) Services LLP; Arup; Ask Property Developments; Atelier Ten; BAM Construct UK; Barratt Developments; Bennetts Associates; Better Buildings Partnership; Bilfinger GVA; Bouygues Development; BRE; British Council for Offices; British Council for Shopping Centres; British Property Federation; British Retail Consortium; BSW Timber; Cundall; EMEA, DTZ; E.ON UK; Energy Bill Revolution; Gentoo Group; Igloo Regeneration; Interface; JLL; Keepmoat; Kingfisher; Knauf Insulation Northern Europe; Lafarge Tarmac; Legal & General Property; Lend Lease; Mark Group; Marks and Spencer; Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK; National Housing Federation; Penoyre & Prasad; RIBA; Rickaby Thompson; Saint-Gobain; SEGRO; Sir Robert McAlpine; Sustainable Energy Association; Travis Perkins Group; UBM; UTC Building & Industrial Systems; Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants; Willmott Dixon; Worcester Bosch.
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