The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee said poorly designed retrofit schemes, a ‘skills crisis’ and costly assurance failures had significantly set back efforts to decarbonise home heating and bring down energy bills and pushed the UK’s clean, secure energy targets further off track.
In its first report of this Parliament, the committee called for the new service, saying that a tailored service signposting consumers to advice, certified installers and financial support could give a return of £15 for every £1 spent on it.
The Committee also pointed to key steps that need to be taken to build confidence and competence in the retrofit programmes, to underpin the advice service and steer Government’s ambitions to deliver warm homes back on track.
Four in five homes that will be occupied in 2050 have already been built and most will need retrofitting with low carbon heating systems and energy efficiency improvements for the UK to achieve net zero emissions: that’s 29 million homes that need retrofitting by 2050 to achieve the Government’s emission reduction targets.
Upgrading all homes to at least Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) level C would deliver £40bn in economic benefits in the next 5 years alone, and up to £100bn in further benefits over the following decade. It would also make homes warmer, healthier and potentially cheaper to heat, reducing levels of cold-related illnesses and mental health conditions and potentially saving the NHS £2bn by 2030.
But today there are 98% fewer energy efficiency measures being installed in homes compared to the trajectory the UK was on in 2010.
The government has to respond to the report before the end of July.
To see it in full, visit https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/664/energy-security-and-net-zero-committee/news/206940/warm-homes-retrofit-failures-pushing-uk-clean-secure-energy-targets-further-off-track-say-mps/