UK: Consultation Launched Regarding How Energy Performance Certificates Currently Perform and Where Improvements Can Be Made
A joint consultation run by both the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BIS) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has been launched, consulting on how Energy Performance Certificates are performing and how they can be improved in the future.
The construction industry in the UK accounts for approximately 47% of all UK carbon emissions, with a significant role to play in relation to climate change mitigation within the UK. One of the key areas of this mitigation is creating buildings that are more energy efficient and that embrace ‘smart technologies’. Furthermore, beyond environmental benefits, this can also lower prices for both households and businesses. The Clean Growth Strategy set out policies and proposals that aim to reduce building energy use, which are underpinned by the extended use of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Whilst these currently give people the information they need on the energy performance of buildings currently, improvements can be made.
New sources of data and information, transmitted from smart meters could allow EPCs to more accurately reflect the energy performance of buildings, whilst this data could also be made available to more people in the future. Furthermore, with an evolving market for ‘green mortgages’ and other green finance options, EPCs could also play a pinnacle role in this. The consultation aims to ascertain the views of stakeholders of EPCs, allowing a greater understanding on how they are used at present and where they could be used in the near-future, creating more sustainable solution in the construction industry and beyond. It’s running from 26th July 2018 through to 19th October 2018.
Source:
Consultation Launched Regarding How Energy Performance Certificates Currently Perform and Where Improvements Can Be Made, published on gov.uk.
