Findings from a new study have shown that the UK is falling far behind EU countries in its performance and policies on home insulation and energy efficiency and will lose further ground if “retained laws” from the European Union are scrapped.
Published by UK pressure group, Another Europe is Possible and Germany’s respected Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the report showed that the UK is failing to match new EU laws which aim to double the annual rate of building renovation and reduce primary energy consumption by 39% by 2030.
It also found that with UK household electricity prices about 30% higher than in neighbouring EU countries, the UK has a “lack of ambition” to match such targets despite the price pressures.
The report further found that an additional threat is posed by the UK government’s plan to take thousands of EU laws off the statute book by the end of next year, which will further widen the gulf.
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“Our sky-high energy prices mean that we have a clear interest in getting the most out of what we use – but the UK government’s energy efficiency and home insulation agenda continue to lack ambition. This is set to be a key area of UK-EU divergence in the years ahead – as the EU commits its member states to bold targets on efficiency and insulation.
“Divergence is a two-way street. It can mean getting rid of existing EU rules we have inherited from membership. But it can also mean not keeping up with changes the EU is making now,” said the report’s author, David Baldock, a senior fellow at the Institute for European Environmental Policy.
A Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesperson said: “Improving the energy efficiency of homes is important to tackling fuel poverty and reducing emissions, and that’s why we’ve committed £6.6bn this parliament and a further £6bn to 2028 to make buildings more energy-efficient.
“The Energy Company Obligation scheme alone has delivered improvements to around 2.4m homes, and just last month we launched our £1bn Eco+ scheme to accelerate these efforts, installing measures in households who have previously not been able to access Eco support.”
Adapted from the Guardian.
