Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Paragraph: 72
Sustained delivery of measures to support the transition to a 68 per cent reduction in...
Conclusion
Sustained delivery of measures to support the transition to a 68 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, and net zero by 2050, will require strategic planning and thorough engagement with all stakeholders. The Government’s strategic ambitions here require multi-annual spending commitments which may need to supersede Spending Review perspectives. Short-term tactical fixes in this sector, designed to deliver quick wins, have been proven to be counterproductive when not designed as part of an overall strategy.
Paragraph Reference:
72
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
In June 2019 the UK became the first major economy to legislate to end our net contribution to climate change by 2050. The government also accepted the Committee for Climate Change’s recommendation that the Treasury should undertake a review into the costs of transitioning to Net Zero. The Interim Report, published in December 2020, is the first publication from the Treasury’s Net Zero Review. It is a discussion document that sets out the analysis so far and seeks feedback ahead of the Final Report, due in spring 2021. The Final Report will take this analysis further, focusing on innovation and growth, competitiveness, and household impacts. The Committee has rightly signposted the need for long-term certainty for the energy efficiency industry if we are to be successful in decarbonising our building stock. Some of this is of course about certainty of funding. In that context, we have made an excellent start as a result of the funding being invested through the other schemes that were launched alongside the Green Homes Grant, including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. We have also recently committed to increasing the Energy Company Obligation to £1 billion per year from 2022. We do agree that we need to look further ahead, for instance Energy efficiency of existing homes: Government Response 11 through the commitments made as part of the 2019 Conservative Manifesto. This included £2.5 billion for Home Upgrade Grants to upgrade some of the worst homes in England, and a £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of social rented homes, on the pathway to Net Zero 2050. The Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy shortly, which will set out the approach we will take, both in terms of action over the coming decade and our longer-term strategic approach to 2050, for reducing emissions from buildings. decisions on how we achieve the mass transition to low-carbon heat and set us on a path to decarbonising all homes and buildings.