Designing Buildings (DB) has collated some sector responses to the recent speech by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announcing changes to the government’s Net Zero strategy.
… industry needs certainties and targets that will incentivise such change…
Designing Buildings writes:
ECA cautions against net zero targets becoming political football
Electrical contracting firms are central to installing low carbon technologies in every aspect of the UK’s built environment. Leading electrotechnical trade body, ECA, says confidence in investing in net zero business and training would be boosted if UK’s net zero targets were depoliticised.
CIOB responds to net zero scaling back
Eddie Tuttle, Director of Policy, Research and Public Affairs at CIOB, said: ‘Decarbonising homes and the wider built environment is vital to reach net zero so it’s disappointing to hear the Prime Minister scaling back energy efficiency targets and the commitments made in the Government’s own net zero growth plan published only six months ago, which refers to minimising reliance on fossil fuels.
‘The Office for Budget Responsibility has previously concluded that a late and abrupt transition to net zero would cost more. It has also noted that ‘continued dependence on gas could be as expensive fiscally as completing the transition to net zero.’
‘Energy consumption in buildings accounts for almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions so to de-prioritise this issue is baffling when the government should instead be finding ways to support homeowners to retrofit their properties and improve their energy efficiency for the lowest possible cost.
Actuate UK (and BSRIA) warns on changes to net zero policies
… When it comes to plotting the route to a net zero 2050, industry needs certainties and targets that will incentivise such change, enable development of new skills, create new job opportunities and grow the green economy.
We welcome the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that much of the progress to come will be technology driven. However, technology needs design, installation, maintenance and optimisation, and all these need skills, an essential part and challenge to the Net Zero strategy. Engineering services businesses also support the need for consensus on Net Zero targets, allowing the UK’s national Parliaments and Assemblies to work together, and with industry and other stakeholders, to develop the policies, technologies and skills we need to reach net zero.We wholeheartedly welcome the very specific increase in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, to £7500, which should help to drive the further introduction and development of heat pumps in the short term.
Changes to net zero policies risks harm to green projects, APM warns
In response to the Government’s announcement about delays to net zero targets, including the delay on a ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035, and a push back on the transition from gas boilers to heat pumps to 2035, Andrew Baldwin, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Association for Project Management (APM), said: ‘Major projects related to achieving net zero targets need long-term stability and consistency from government to succeed. Today’s announcements on net zero policy changes and delays could lead to spiralling costs, reduced benefits and, ultimately, to failure – and we simply cannot afford to fail at delivering something as important as net zero.
