Industry figures have criticized Rishi Sunak for creating uncertainty and confusion after rejecting climate targets on home insulation, boiler replacement and electric cars.
Yesterday (September 20), the Prime Minister scrapped plans to force landlords to upgrade their properties to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C or higher by 2025.
It also delayed plans to ban the installation of new oil or LPG boilers or coal heating for off-grid homes by nine years, from 2026 to 2035, and exempted around a fifth of all homeowners of upgrading to non-fossil fuel boilers from 2035. if they will “fight to change”.
The ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, previously due to come into force in 2030, will not come into effect until 2035. However, targets for the proportion of electric vehicles that manufacturers must sell each year will remain unchanged, according to BBC News. a provision that should soften the blow for producers of electric vehicles and their components, such as the planned gigafactories.
Sunak said it was important to have ambitious policies to reduce emissions, but added: “There is nothing ambitious in simply stating a goal for a short-term incumbent without being honest with the public about the difficult choices and sacrifices involved and without any meaningful democratic debate about how we get there.”
He said the implications of previous targets had not been properly explained and the government would take a more “pragmatic and realistic” approach to tackling climate change in the future.
Responding to the announcements, the chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, Brian Berry, said: “Policy consistency is key to achieving net zero and reducing carbon emissions, but the trend towards energy efficiency policies stop-start continues, leaving consumers and builders confused.
“There is a real need to improve the energy efficiency of our existing homes, not only to reduce carbon emissions, but also to lift homeowners out of energy poverty.
“Long-term certainty is essential if the construction industry is to develop the supply chains needed to transform our 29 million homes. The danger is that the Prime Minister’s new policy will discourage investment and damage consumer confidence on the way to net zero”.
UK Green Building Council deputy executive vice-president Simon McWhirter said the announcement had caused widespread anger and frustration.
“Delaying green policies only means they will have to be implemented much more quickly later, increasing the cost for everyone, families and businesses alike.
“The Prime Minister’s shift in focus will also have a chilling effect on investment and skills training in green industries as they face further pressure on the policy handbrake, just as our members and wider businesses were expanding their pro-green activities across the economy.”
The chief executive of the Building Research Establishment, Gillian Charlesworth, echoed the view.
He said: “Almost a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions come from heating buildings, and tackling this will be crucial to achieving net zero by 2050. Heat pumps are likely to be the technology that will dominate the transition to net zero, but today’s delay in phasing out gas boilers will deter the public and industry from supporting this long-term push.
“The government’s U-turn to introduce stricter energy efficiency targets for homeowners is equally worrying.”
Muyiwa Oki, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), said: “Millions of people in the UK live in drafty and damp homes that waste energy and money. Without a consistent signal, support and investment from government, our homes will remain the least efficient in Europe for years and decades to come.”
However, the National Association of Residential Landlords welcomed the moves. Chief executive Ben Beadle said: “It is welcome that landlords do not have to invest substantial sums of money during a cost of living crisis when many are struggling financially.
“However, ministers must use the space they are creating to develop a comprehensive plan that supports the rental market to make the energy efficiency improvements we all want to see.”
Meanwhile, the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) called for investment in skills to drive efforts to improve green technologies.
Andrew Eldred, director of workforce and public affairs at the ECA, said: “The extra time available must be used to good effect, low carbon technologies are evolving rapidly but all require a level of core competency to settle safely.”
Paul Reeve, director of corporate social responsibility at the ECA, added: “The new timetable gives more time to decarbonise and develop the UK’s grid. Rather than focusing on one or two low-carbon solutions, it is a opportunity to move to a “technology agnostic” approach, installing the most energy efficient solutions.
“Next to that, the United Kingdom [electric vehicle] Charging infrastructure must be significantly stepped up to meet customer demand and meet crucial safety standards.”
Gleeds chief executive Graham Harle said his consultation remains unwavering in its commitment to its net zero targets. He added: “While we note recent changes in government policy, we remain optimistic that the wider global construction community will continue to share collective responsibility towards our planet. Our hope is that all stakeholders, including government, stay aligned in our overall goal.”
Earlier this year, it emerged that the industry was on track to achieve less than half of its own net zero targets, set through the Construction Leadership Council.
It was not ranked in the following areas: optimizing the use of modern construction methods and improving on-site logistics; work with the government to improve the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock; implement carbon measurement to support construction projects in making quantifiable decisions to remove carbon; design carbon; support the development of innovative low-carbon materials.
