Reducing carbon emissions from buildings >>> a message from the industry: "Making buildings energy-efficient stimulates economic activity and creates thousands of jobs"

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The CEO of Aggregate Industries is one of the signatories in a letter to the Telegraph today:

Less carbon, more cash

Construction companies see opportunities in carbon reduction

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Claire and John Somerville have installed both external and cavity wall insulation in their Victorian house Photo: Andrew Crowley

6:59AM BST 26 May 2015

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SIR – We congratulate George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on his recent electoral success. As leaders of businesses and industry groups from the construction, retrofitting and property sectors, we can declare a remarkable consensus on the economic benefits of reducing carbon emissions from buildings.

Energy used in constructing and running homes and other buildings accounts for over a third of Britain’s total emissions. Yet our sector can offer cost-effective carbon reductions that are not only compatible with continuing reduction of the deficit, but also present a major opportunity for economic growth.

Making buildings energy-efficient stimulates economic activity, strengthens international competitiveness and creates thousands of jobs, mostly with small local businesses. It lowers costs for businesses and householders, and reduces the burden on the NHS. More cost-effective than increasing generation, it safeguards Britain’s energy security.

We strongly welcome the commitments in the Conservative manifesto to support the Climate Change Act and to push for a strong global climate deal in Paris later this year. But the Government will also need four long-term policies for our sector.

First it should recognise energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority and allocate infrastructure funds for a national retrofit programme.

Secondly, it should fulfil its commitment to make all new homes zero carbon from 2016 and all new non-domestic buildings so from 2019.

Thirdly, minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector from 2018 should be effectively enforced.

Lastly, the Government should outline how it intends to meet the third and fourth “carbon budgets”, and introduce an ambitious fifth carbon budget which is in line with the recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change.

Julie Hirigoyen
Chief Executive, UK Green Building Council

Joanne Wade
Director, Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE)

Keith Exford
Chief Executive, Affinity Sutton

Pat Ward
Chief Executive, Aggregate Industries UK

Less carbon, more cash - Telegraph

This is the analysis from the GreenWise website:

Make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority, business leaders tell Osborne

Energy efficiency news – by GreenWise staff

26th May 2015

Leaders of major UK companies, including Whitbread, BAM Construct, Willmott Dixon and Kingfisher, have called on George Osborne today to put energy efficiency at the heart of the Government’s economic plan.

An open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, published in The Daily Telegraph,  and signed by leaders of 55 construction and property companies, urges the Government to include "bold energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets" in the Government’s long-term economic plan. Among other things, the letter recommends making energy efficiency an "national infrastructure priority" and for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016.

"Thousands of jobs" for small businesses

"Building energy efficiency stimulates economic activity, strengthens our international competitiveness and creates thousands of jobs across the UK, mostly with small local businesses," the business leaders write in the letter.

"It lowers costs for businesses and householders, and reduces the burden on the NHS. And as a more cost effective means of meeting demand than building new generating capacity, it is also crucial in safeguarding our energy security."

Osborne will deliver an emergency budget on July 8 to reveal how the Government will implement its austerity measures over the next Parliament, including £12 billion worth of cuts in welfare spending, following the Conservatives’ victory at the General election earlier this month. In its manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to "cut emissions as cost-effectively as possible" to meet the UK’s climate change targets. 

Long-term policies

While strongly welcoming the manifesto pledge, the business leaders say in the letter that to "continue to stimulate investment and innovation in building energy efficiency, the Government will need ambitious, long-term policies which provide a clear trajectory for our sector".

Those include, recognising energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority and allocate infrastructure funds to catalyse a national programme to bring all UK homes up to EPC band C; delivering on the commitment for all new homes and all new non-domestic buildings to be zero carbon from 2016 and 2019 respectively; ensuring Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the commercial and private rented sector from 2018 are effectively enforced; outlining how the Government intends to meet the third and fourth carbon budgets, and introduce an ambitious fifth carbon budget.

Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC), which coordinated the letter, said: "Business leaders already recognise the importance of bold energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets - not simply because they’re the right thing to do, but because they generate real commercial value for their businesses.

"The new Government has a golden opportunity to put cost effective carbon reductions from buildings at the heart of its economic plan. Ambitious, long-term policies would drive major economic growth and job creation, reduce energy bills for homes and businesses, and strengthen the UK’s energy security. This is a win-win-win for people, the environment and the economy."

The organisations and companies behind the letter are: UK-GBC; Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE); Affinity Sutton; Aggregate Industries UK; AkzoNobel UK; Aldersgate Group; Alliance for Sustainable Building Products; Argent (Property Development) Services LLP; Arup; Ask Property Developments; Atelier Ten; BAM Construct UK; Barratt Developments; Bennetts Associates; Better Buildings Partnership; Bilfinger GVA; Bouygues Development; BRE; British Council for Offices; British Council for Shopping Centres; British Property Federation; British Retail Consortium; BSW Timber; Cundall; EMEA, DTZ; E.ON UK; Energy Bill Revolution; Gentoo Group; Igloo Regeneration; Interface; JLL; Keepmoat; Kingfisher; Knauf Insulation Northern Europe; Lafarge Tarmac; Legal & General Property; Lend Lease; Mark Group; Marks and Spencer; Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK; National Housing Federation; Penoyre & Prasad; RIBA; Rickaby Thompson; Saint-Gobain; SEGRO; Sir Robert McAlpine; Sustainable Energy Association; Travis Perkins Group; UBM; UTC Building & Industrial Systems; Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants; Willmott Dixon; Worcester Bosch.

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