Uttlesford Urges Government to Rethink Energy Efficiency
Uttlesford District Council has called on the Government to rethink its approach to improving energy efficiency in homes and follow the authority’s pioneering example.
Three years ago, the council introduced a requirement for people being granted planning permission for home extensions to put in cost-effective energy-saving measures in their existing properties. It was the first council in the country to do this after the Government dropped a similar – but less effective – idea from a consultation about the country’s Building Regulations.
Now, in its latest Building Regulations consultation, the Government has once again pulled back from introducing such a requirement nationally – prompting Uttlesford to launch a campaign to get ministers to change their minds.
The scheme – called “consequential improvement” – was adapted by Uttlesford District Council from the Government’s original idea to be less cumbersome and expensive for householders. It helps reduce the carbon emissions from existing housing and in the long run saves homeowners money.
Unlike the dropped government proposal, which involves spending 10 per cent extra on the building works’ budget on energy efficiency in the existing dwelling regardless of its energy performance, Uttlesford’s approach is to make the most of any good, straightforward opportunities for improvement that are present. These include loft and cavity wall insulation, draught-proofing, improved heating controls and replacement boilers.
The checklist approach is simple – if any of the measures on the list are applicable, pay for themselves in energy cost savings in less than seven years and their combined cost does not exceed 10 per cent of the cost of the building works, they are required. If none of the measures on the list fit the bill, none are required.
The district council has been successfully implementing this policy for three years, and it has been well received by householders. Around 1,400 extensions have been affected by the policy so far, and the total projected savings from measures required as a result are £72,600 and 398,000kg of CO2 per year.
The council has won praise for the initiative from the Local Government Association, the Energy Saving Trust and the Federation of Master Builders, been highly commended in the 2006 UK Energy Efficiency Awards and shortlisted for the 2008 Ashden Awards. The Parliamentary Select Committee for Communities and Local Government has recommended Uttlesford’s initiative be adopted by the Government.
The council is urging anyone with an interest, including householders, other local authorities, industry bodies and environment groups, to take part in the current government consultation – which at the moment makes no mention of consequential improvement in Part L, the relevant section of the Building Regulations.
Jake Roos, Uttlesford District Council’s Energy Efficiency Surveyor, said: “The Government, having got cold feet about its rather blunt, onerous and potentially unworkable idea for consequential improvement, has decided instead to do nothing. We fail to understand why it is throwing the baby out with the bathwater in this way. We have trialled a different approach, proved it works and shown there will be no backlash.
“We want the Government to adopt our alternate proposal in Part L for next year, and want everyone who agrees with us to put pressure on them too.
“We’ve heard so many speeches on the urgent need for action on climate change – this is an opportunity for the Government to match its rhetoric with swift action.”
Background information
The Part L consultation closes September 17 and can be found here:
Further information on UDC’s initiative can be found here:
Building Magazine recently published a feature on the UDC initiative, which can be read here:
Other related articles can be found here: