Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), comments on today’s announcement regarding the government’s Energy Bill:

“Today’s announcement from Grant Shapps, the Business and Energy Secretary, committing to the government’s Energy Bill is a major step forward in ensuring Britain’s energy security. Moving away from fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy – which forms a central element of the Bill – will be crucial to decarbonising our energy supply, particularly across our homes and buildings.

“At present, heating our buildings makes up nearly a quarter (23%) of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. As such, decarbonising heat and improving the efficiency of the country’s building stock will be crucial to achieving net zero by 2050 and establishing a self-sufficient energy system for the benefit of households, businesses, and the wider economy.

“It is encouraging that the Energy Bill promises to set out a clear plan to drive private investment in the wider renewable energy market, and it’s crucial that this includes the heat pump industry. Heat pumps are likely to be the dominant technology used to transition households to clean energy over the short and long-term, but the pace of installation here is currently lagging behind comparable European countries.

“To tackle this head-on, we welcome the government’s plan to implement a Low Carbon Heat Scheme which would stimulate heat pump sales and help the UK reach its ambition of installing 600,000 per year by 2028.

“Another element in driving the green transition in the built environment will be creating the jobs and up-skilling the workers needed to deliver this. Hundreds of thousands of workers will be needed at all skill levels and across the UK to support households with the shift away from fossil fuel heating.

“Clear, long-term measures that improve the energy efficiency of our homes and buildings and shift households, communities, and industry to clean power is what the UK sorely needs to achieve net zero – and the government’s recommitment to the Energy Bill will keep up momentum in this area.”