The Sustainable Energy Association report outlines the remaining policy gaps and steps the Government must take to achieve net zero by 2050.

The SEA welcomes the monumental shift in the UK Government’s focus, with Net Zero placed firmly on the policy agenda. It is a major step in the right direction. However, there are still numerous gaps that need to be addressed to help us realise this vision.

The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) has released a new report entitled What Next For Heat And Buildings Policy outlining the remaining policy gaps and makes recommendations for what the Government should do to address them. It identifies four core areas of focus and makes several recommendations – highlighting what must be done to achieve the ambitious target of the UK becoming net zero by 2050 and delivering buildings fit for the future.  

• Address the able to pay sector as this key stakeholder group is crucial to facilitate the movement away from a heavy reliance on government funding into an independent retrofit market which is self-sufficient and delivers at scale.

• Tackle the lack of consumer and supply chain knowledge & skills of low-carbon technologies compared to traditional fossil fuel heating systems. The government must ensure there is a competent workforce capable of designing, building, and retrofitting to deliver energy efficient, net zero carbon, healthy homes, and buildings.

• The SEA advocates a fabric first, technology agnostic approach. Therefore, low-carbon technologies, and energy efficiency measures that meet the space and water heating demands of the building in question and lead to the right outcomes, should be supported by government schemes.

• The Government and Industry must work together to form a definitive National Retrofit Strategy, setting out the policies and programmes required to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, with realistic timescales for implementation, and which places energy efficiency at the heart of the UK’s Net-Zero target.

Jade Lewis, Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Association commented:

“The SEA is committed to eliminating fuel poverty and ensuring all homes are energy efficient, net zero-carbon, warm and healthy. As the first major country to pass net zero emissions law, the UK government has a unique opportunity to demonstrate how a nation can do it correctly. We would welcome collaborating with the Government and key industry stakeholders to develop the next phase of policy and help deliver homes and buildings fit for future generations.”

The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) is a membership organisation made up of manufacturers, energy suppliers, housing providers, installers, innovators, and other organisations with expertise on energy in buildings. In a world of finite resources, the SEA exists to help create living and working spaces fit for future generations.

Notes to editors

 1. The Sustainable Energy Association is a member-based industry body offering innovative policy solutions that link up building-level technologies and the wider energy system to achieve a low carbon, secure energy future for the UK, benefits for UK consumers, and commercial growth for businesses working in the sector.

2. To see the report in full, visit: https://www.sustainableenergyassociation.com/publications/what-next-for-heat-buildings-policy/

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