Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has any plans to ensure that United Kingdom housing stock achieves a higher rating on the national home energy rating; what targets he has set for developing energy efficiency in the housing stock up to the year 2000; and whether he has made any estimate of the effect of energy efficiency in housing stock on(a) the potential savings on energy expenditure and (b) emissions of carbon dioxide.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe Government promote energy efficiency in housing through information programmes, such as the EEO best practice programme and its current publicity campaign targeted on those moving or improving their homes, including promotion of home energy labelling; through thermal requirements in building regulations; and through financial support targeted on those on low incomes, including the new home energy efficiency scheme, house renovation grants, the local government housing demonstration programme and estates action. Whilst targets are set for individual programmes as appropriate, no targets have been set for the housing stock as a whole, where the rate of improvement in energy efficiency depends upon the decisions and choices of individual householders in the light of their own particular circumstances.
Assessments of the prospects for achieving reductions in energy expenditure and carbon dioxide emissions in the 278W domestic sector are contained in the paper submitted by the United Kingdom to the energy and industry sub-group of the response strategies working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in November 1989, and subsequently published in January 1990 as energy paper No. 58 under the title "An Evaluation of Energy Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Measures to Ameliorate Them".
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether his Department has any plans to use the national homes energy rating as a means of setting performance targets both for new build and for the improvement of existing homes.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryMy Department considers that home energy labelling is an important means whereby individual householders and those responsible for building and managing housing stock can become better informed about the scope for improving the energy efficiency performance of their dwellings. I therefore welcome the initiatives taken by the National Energy Foundation and MVM-Starpoint to launch home energy labelling schemes based on the building research establishment's domestic energy model (BREDEM).
My Department and the Department of the Environment are working with both organisations to help promote the concept of home energy labelling more widely. As explained in the Government's White Paper "This Common Inheritance", our intention is that energy labelling should be sufficiently developed to be incorporated into the building regulations when they are next amended. We are also examining what part home energy labelling can play to achieve energy efficiency improvements in the existing housing stock.