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Peers call for Greener Building and Less Red Tape

Posted: 18/07/2005

A House of Lords report published recently has urged the Government to resolve the uncertainty and confusion that are undermining its attempts to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Greener buildings and more energy efficient appliances are specifically mentioned in the report's recommendations.

Baroness Perry of Southwark, who chaired the inquiry, said: "The Government has to get a grip on our huge waste of energy if it is to limit the UK's contribution to climate change. No country in the world has yet succeeded in combining a sustained reduction in energy use with economic growth, and UK energy demand is still rising. Achieving the Government's targets is a huge task, and needs clearer thinking and stronger leadership."

The report calls for strengthening and greening Building Regulations and enforcing them more rigorously, addressing the acute skills shortage in the construction industry, and reversing the dramatic fall in Government funding for construction research.

Consumers should be given more information on energy use and its costs, and financial incentives to encourage efficient energy use. The M.Ps also suggest introducing a new pricing structure so that low energy users pay less per unit.

All new build projects should include community heating, and the use of waste heat and of carbon-free heat such as biomass and solar thermal systems. Local authorities would have the resources to develop local energy efficiency projects.

Finally, the report recommends that the Government appoints a single Energy Minister with responsibility for both the energy supply industry and energy efficiency,and reduces the number of agencies in the field by merging the Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust. At present there is a "complete lack of coherent policy" on energy efficiency, with too many departments, agencies and strategies pulling in opposite directions.

Baroness Perry said that many of the rules and protocols which have to be observed in order for councils and developers to obtain grants and funding for more efficient buildings are actually a hindrance rather than a help. She condemned the current red tape which surrounds such initiatives as "a disgrace", adding that the government were "very accomplished at talking the talk, and all the strategies sound wonderful, but it's just lip service".

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