NEWS EXTRA
the provision of up to £500 million to trial hydrogen applications, including for heating.
INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO PRIME MINISTER’S 10 POINT PLAN
The Government’s 10 Point Plan for a greener future has been welcomed by the industry, with a few caveats.
THE UK PRIME minister has set out “a 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution”. The plan involves £12bn of public spending over the coming years in areas from energy generation to building retrofits.
The Builders Merchants
Federation has welcomed the Prime Minister’s blueprint for greener homes and buildings, but says more needs to be done to ensure the scheme leaves a lasting legacy for the UK’s housing stock. The BMF says the Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which includes £1 billion next year to drive efficiencies in new and existing homes and public buildings, as well as a year- long extension to the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme, is a step in the right direction. However, it says that the approach needs to align with a broader, long-term strategy, to make a meaningful impact. John Newcomb, BMF CEO, said:
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“We pressed to extend the Green Homes Grant deadline following feedback from members that more time was required to allow people to plan their improvements and source a registered trader to undertake the work.
“While it is excellent news that the grant scheme has been extended, it cannot be a one-off initiative if the government is to achieve its aims both to improve energy efficiency and level up housing conditions throughout the country.
“As a member of the
Construction Leadership Council, we believe the route to achieve this is through a National Retrofit Strategy that would involve upgrading approximately 28 million properties to ensure the money spent makes a lasting difference to the quality of our homes. We are presented with an enormous opportunity to move towards a low- or zero-carbon future in both
homes and workplaces. If we can link this to a National Retrofit Strategy then we can improve lives, create jobs, boost the economy and make greater inroads towards the Government’s target of net zero emissions by 2050.” At boiler manufactuer
Viessmann, UK marketing director Darren McMahon says the planned higher level of focus and investment will be critical if the UK is to be successful in achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and particularly in the run up to the COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow next year.
He says: “Heating is hard to decarbonise – as evidenced by the limited progress over the past ten years – and government intervention is key for success. Therefore, we fully support the allocation of £1 billion next year to extend the Green Homes Grant and deliver a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, as well as
“The Green Homes Grant has been well-received but criticised for having too short a window to have any meaningful impact. Pent up demand from homeowners from the first lockdown period means the nation’s heating installers are already well booked up as we enter the traditionally busy heating season. To compound this further, Green Homes Grant vouchers are being issued very slowly and installations are inevitably delayed. Around 30% of installations of Viessmann heat pumps are currently tied up, waiting for vouchers to be issued. An extension to the scheme by 12 months will ensure that these projects and installations can be realised, and are open to more of the population, not just the early adopters. “If the heating market is to achieve the level of radical change set out in the plan – 600,000 heat pumps installed every year by 2028 – support for decarbonised and efficient heating is essential. The Government will need to follow through with interventions to tighten new build and retrofit regulations for heating systems, as well as installers to upskill for new technologies. This decade is a make or break period for decarbonisation from heating and the plan sends a positive signal to the market.” Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at The UK Green Building Council, said: “We’re pleased to see the Government bring forward a package of measures that begins to recognise the importance of a multi-faceted approach to tackling the climate crisis.
“Retrofitting our existing homes, which are some of the draughtiest in Europe, is critical to driving down emissions across the country. We therefore welcome the extension of the Green Homes Grant, which will give installers more time to help more people upgrade their homes. We also welcome the commitment to public building energy efficiency – although this is not new. “Cash alone won’t fix this. We also need structural incentives to
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2020
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