On 11 July 2006 the Government published The Energy Challenge – a report on its energy review for meeting two long-term challenges in UK energy policy:
- we need to tackle climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions; and
- we need to deliver secure, clean energy at affordable prices, as we move to increasing dependence on imported energy
In December 2006, the Government issued a challenging package of measures for planners and house builders entitled "Towards a zero carbon future".
This has the objective of progressively reducing the energy requirement of houses that we build from now on, so that houses built from 2016 will be zero carbon. This is against the current 27 per cent proportion of UK carbon emissions that living in our homes creates.
Obviously existing and especially older houses will still consume energy but other measures notably the Energy Efficiency Commitment (and its successor) and Warm Front schemes are intended to directly reduce these, and together with the perceived benefits offered by efficient new homes will stimulate other householders to improve the energy performance of their homes.
Several Government Office functions have an energy implication including housing (where Local Authorities have a duty to identify efficiencies), transport, planning (especially renewable energy and energy efficiency of new developments), and fuel poverty as a dimension of social deprivation and health.
On 23 May 2007 the Government published 'Meeting the energy challenge' (the 2007 Energy White Paper). This provides the Government's strategy for greater energy efficiency and a secure, low carbon energy mix for the long-term.
Renewable energy
Government Offices have a key role in co-ordinating regional activity in relation to the renewable energy agenda; not just in related planning work, but also in meeting the target of 10 per cent of the UK's electricity requirements coming from renewable sources by 2010.
