We have recently sent a letter, addressed to our MP Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Climate Change, which outlines a series of policy recommendations aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of buildings, focusing on both existing properties and new constructions. We need these changes to support our work in decarbonising Bath.
Key recommendations include:
- Strengthening New Build Standards: Push for a true zero-carbon standard for all new homes and allow local authorities to exceed national energy efficiency minimums.
- Embodied Carbon: Introduce limits on building materials’ carbon impact in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
- Energy Efficiency in Rentals: Reinstate requirements MEES for private rental properties to meet higher EPC standards (EPC ‘C’).
- Heat Pump Adoption: Incentivize heat pump installations by addressing pricing disparities between gas and electricity, improving heat pump design standards, increasing training for installers, and supporting independent heat loss assessments.
- Barriers to Renewables: Reduce costs and regulatory barriers for heat pump installations and renewable energy projects like solar PV and wind farms.
The letter stresses the need for urgent government action, suggesting that without these reforms, decarbonizing homes could take over 900 years, making it impossible to meet the UK’s 2050 climate targets. Transition Bath offers to work with policymakers to bring about these changes and asks for Wera’s support in advocating these reforms within the government.
A copy of the letter appears here.