BSRIA has published a White Paper on Achieving Carbon Targets which looks at what the industry needs from government to deliver and achieve carbon targets over the next 10 years.

The paper was written by Jeremy Towler, senior manager, Energy & Smart Technologies, BSRIA Worldwide Market Intelligence, in July 2015. It considers the long-term strategy – stability; benchmarking; taking a holistic view; and legislation and regulation. It recommends that government can help and the main tools at its disposal are legislation, regulation, incentives and sponsorship.

Chief executive of BSRIA, Julia Evans, said: “Our industry will be aided through the establishment of clear policy, clear and uncomplicated legislation, and more regulation. However, there are currently too many different government departments dictating policy, therefore, industry supports the creation of a single government department with which it can interface. This will help to reduce contradiction and confusion.”

Ms Evans continued: “Regulation is currently viewed as the minimum standard people need to achieve. Government should tax poor performance and provide subsidies to encourage best performance and the use of best low-carbon technologies. 

“The overall value of improving existing buildings has the potential to far outweigh the contribution from energy efficient new buildings. Therefore, incentives should be given for refurbishment of the existing building stock. At the same time, measures that link non-compliance with regulations to insurance penalties would also help to improve the situation.”

She concluded: “The majority of UK homes still have outdated heating control equipment. There is not only a lack of education amongst home owners; there is a lack of encouragement to upgrade their systems. A quick-win would be to incentivise residential thermostat replacement.”

The paper was developed for BSRIA’s Diamond Group Forum 6/2015. BSRIA’s Diamond Group consists of a BSRIA network of senior executives.