The Energy Bill Revolution

Liberal Democrat energy efficiency polices published today are strongly welcomed. They include clear commitments in support of many of the EBR campaign asks.

They pledge to make energy efficiency an infrastructure priority, to use capital funds to invest in home energy efficiency, interest free loans for energy efficiency improvements and to bring all low income homes up to Band C on an Energy Performance Certificate by 2027 (only 2 years later than EBR target date of 2025).  They also commit to bringing all social and private rented housing up to EPC Band C by 2027, to insulate 4 million homes by 2020 and to enshrine these targets in a new Green Buildings Act.

EBR would like the Liberal Democrats to clarify that their 4 million homes target for 2020 would include brining 2 million low income homes up to EPC Band C. But overall the package outlined would make significant progress in tackling fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions from buildings.

Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution, said:

“The Liberal Democrat proposals are a huge step forward in the battle to end the scourge of fuel poverty and are to be commended. Their commitment to bring all low income, social and privately rented homes up to Band C by 2027, to use infrastructure funds to invest in the programme, provide interest free loans for the able to pay and establish a new Green Buildings Act is bold and ambitious. This is the framework needed to slash energy bills and end the cold home crisis once and for all.”

Notes to Editors

The Liberal Democrats have pledged:

• Make saving energy a top infrastructure priority.

• In our Spending Review we will set out long-term plans for capital expenditure, and ensure that investment in infrastructure, including in housing and energy efficiency, continues to rise both in absolute terms and as a share of the economy.

• Goal to reduce energy demand by 50% by 2030

• Introduce a Green Buildings Act to support domestic energy efficiency.

• Ensure at least four million homes receive energy efficiency improvements by 2020.

• Introduce a Council Tax discount of at least £100 for 10 years for significant improvements in energy efficiency in homes.

• Set targets for all social and private rented homes to reach Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2027

• Every UK home to reach at least EPC Band C by 2035

• Continued support for the Green Deal Communities programme and reform of the ‘pay as you save’ scheme into a new Green Homes Loan Scheme, funding renewable heat and electricity alongside energy efficiency.

• Boost community energy efficiency by empowering the Green Investment Bank to develop innovative financial products for whole street or district-wide energy efficiency retrofits.

• A new Feed Out Tariff for investment in solid wall insulation.

• A statutory target to bring the homes of all low income households to Band C 2027.

• A new legal framework to require regulators to facilitate the development of geothermal heat, heat pumps, waste industrial heat and energy storage systems.

• New powers to introduce new energy efficiency and heat saving regulations to reduce heat and energy use.

• Remove exemptions in the Zero Carbon Standard for new homes, increasing the standard and extending it to non-domestic buildings from 2019.

• Develop a range of targeted programmes to support the above measures including infrastructure funding, including ‘insulation on prescription’ to link the NHS to fuel poverty; an Off-Gas-Grid strategy to help rural areas benefit from new technologies; interest-free loans to fund energy efficiency home improvements.