In response to the latest figures released on the government’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme, Baxi Group is calling for more focus on co-ordinated, whole home efficiency solutions to deliver carbon savings and alleviate fuel poverty.
CERT, which started in April 2008, is a household sector energy and carbon saving scheme, placing a 3-year (to March 2011) obligation on energy suppliers to meet ambitious household carbon saving targets.

Suppliers meet their targets by promoting the take-up of energy saving measures, including loft and cavity wall insulation, high-efficiency lighting, heating and other appliances.

In the three months ending June 2010, CERT had delivered savings totalling 149 Mt (Mega tonnes) CO2, equivalent to 81% of its 185Mt CO2 target. Only 43% of these savings came from target priority groups and 90% of all savings were derived from insulation and lighting improvements. Heating measures, appliances and microgeneration showed only modest growth in this period with savings measured at 8.5, 5.5 and 0.66Mt CO2 respectively.

'CERT is an important mechanism for delivering efficiency improvements in the home' says Simon Osborne, Baxi Group's channel specification manager.

'Clearly, installing high efficiency appliances in leaky, poorly insulated dwellings is not the right approach. However, energy efficient boilers, and microgeneration appliances in particular, should be playing a greater role as part of a co-ordinated CERT response which cuts carbon emissions within the whole building envelope.'

'It is important also for government and the energy suppliers to address the targeting of the scheme,' said Osborne.

'At present, the priority groups most likely to be affected by issues of fuel poverty are not receiving sufficient support through CERT.'

Baxi Group is well-placed to help homeowners as well as public and private sector specifiers reduce carbon emissions in new and existing dwellings with its extensive Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) heating and hot water range.

The Group is committed to developing and supplying innovative new heating technologies that will play a role in tackling climate change, reducing the use of fossil fuels and addressing the issues of fuel poverty. For more information, visit http://www.baxigroupspecification.co.uk