§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans1180W she has to enforce greater energy saving practices in homes; and what timescale has been drawn up for homes to improve their energy saving practices.[130532]
§ Mr. Bradshaw[holding answer 18 September 2003]: The Energy White Paper details the steps being taken to encourage greater energy efficiency in the UK, and sets out an ambitious strategy for energy efficiency up to 2010 and beyond. Energy efficiency is expected to deliver about half the carbon savings needed to meet our goals for 2020. This will mean roughly doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement of recent decades.
Households account for around 5MtC of the expected savings by 2010. The Energy White Paper sets out measures which have the potential to deliver 3.5MtC by 2010, in addition to the savings of 1.5MtC from measures already in place. It is estimated that by 2020, a further 4–6MtC of annual savings can be realised in the household sector.
Key measures proposed in the White Paper that would provide a statutory basis for improvements in energy efficiency in households include extension of the Energy Efficiency Commitment beyond 2005 at possibly twice its current level of activity; improvements in building standards through revisions to the Building Regulations, which we aim to bring into effect in 2005; and faster improvements in the standards of new household appliances.
The Government intend to publish an Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan within a year of the White Paper's publication, which will provide further detail on all of these policies.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to increase the UK's energy efficiency. [131078]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Energy White Paper details the steps being taken to encourage greater energy efficiency in the UK, and sets out an ambitious strategy for energy efficiency up to 2010 and beyond. Energy efficiency is expected to deliver about half the carbon savings needed to meet our goals for 2020. This will mean roughly doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement of recent decades.
Key measures proposed in the White Paper include extension of the Energy Efficiency Commitment beyond 2005 at possibly twice its current level of activity; improvements in building standards through further revisions to the Building Regulations; faster improvements in the standards of new household appliances; and consultation on economic instruments to improve household energy efficiency.
Already established are a wide range of policies and measures to encourage energy efficiency across the economy. These include:
Climate Change Agreements, where companies can gain an 80 per cent. discount from the Climate Change Levy for eligible processes by entering into Agreements and meeting energy efficiency targets;the work of the Carbon Trust, which takes the lead on energy efficiency for business and the public sector, and supports the development of a low carbon economy in the UK. The Trust was launched in April 2001 as part of the CCL "package";1181Wthe UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which will generate significant emissions reductions and is the first economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world. The UK Government is also working towards implementing the European ETS, due to start on 1 January 2005.funding for the Energy Saving Trust to run a number of programmes to promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy in homes. The Trust also facilitates the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, which brings together key stakeholders to support and promote domestic energy efficiency.encouraging improvements in product standards so that energy-using appliances operate more efficiently; the Building Regulations, updated in 2002, which are already delivering significant energy efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings.The Government intend to publish an Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan within a year of the White Paper's publication, which will provide further detail on all of these policies.