NEWS UPDATE DOMESTIC DECARBONISATION Falling down on targets


UK chief climate advisor to become Carbon Trust chief executive


After six years of service as chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, Chris Stark has announced he will be stepping down to take on the role of chief executive of the Carbon Trust. He will join the global climate


consultancy in spring 2024 to lead the organisation as it drives accelerated climate action towards Net Zero. This comes after the Carbon Trust’s


CEO of over two decades, Tom Delay, announced he would step down in June last year. Well-respected in the industry,


Stark has advised UK governments for over a decade, including in his work at the Climate Change Committee since 2018. There he led independent advice on the UK’s Net Zero target, and the development of multiple pathways to ensure the whole economy could meet this target. He has a wide breadth of


experience, having previously led teams at the UK Treasury, the Department for Business, and the Scottish Government. As part of this, he specialised in the intersection between policy and business and, particularly, the role of the private sector in achieving the Net Zero transition. Responding to the news of


his appointment, Stark said: “I’m delighted to join Carbon Trust. Tackling climate change is my life’s work and I believe the Carbon Trust will continue to play a key role in that mission. “The organisation has been a


climate pioneer over the last 20 years, driving innovation in climate solutions and providing practical support to businesses, governments, and financial institutions to accelerate decarbonisation.”


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The number of homes upgraded through the government’s official insulation schemes has dropped around 40% in a single year, according to analysis from the New Economics Foundation (NEF). The analysis finds that the government’s four leading schemes only installed 15.8% of the home energy efficiency measures needed by the end of 2023 to meet the UK’s legal net zero climate commitments. Previous NEF research established


that insulating the nation’s draughtiest homes would save relevant households £6.4bn a year on their energy bills. But this latest analysis reveals that the total number of households improved by the home upgrade grant (HUG) and local authority delivery (LAD) schemes fell by 40% in the last year. Similarly, the number of households


upgraded under the Energy Company obligation (ECO) – the largest and longest running scheme – has fallen by 55% over the past year. The social housing decarbonisation fund (SHDF) has existed for less than two years so it is not possible to compute equivalent figures – but it is also down 41% quarter on quarter.


Opportunities being missed to retrofit commercial buildings


For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk Home energy efficiency measures


are a key component of the UK’s policies to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. According to the government’s own climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee, the UK should have installed 2,940,087 insulation measures between 2020 and the end of 2023. This new analysis shows a massive


gap between these targets and reality. Just 464,982 such energy efficiency measures have been installed since 2020 across all four of the government’s landmark schemes (LAD, HUG, ECO and SHDF). These represent just 15.8% of the installation measures required to meet legal targets. According to the English Housing


Survey, only 53% of homes have either cavity or solid wall insulation, and only 48% are rated as Energy Performance Certificate A, B or C. UK homes leak heat three times faster than our European neighbours, with privately rented homes particularly affected.


optimisation and light retrofitting (26% and 15%, respectively) offer significant reductions in operational energy use and are cost- and carbon-effective measures. Taking intermediate steps could enable smoother and less extensive deep retrofits down the line. UKGBC is calling for mandatory


The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched new guidance on retrofitting large office buildings, highlighting missed opportunities and reframing the process as iterative rather than a standalone project. UKGBC argues that office


investors, owners, and occupiers without clear retrofit strategies are failing to capitalise on “easy wins” – low-cost, low-disruption measures that reduce energy consumption – and key “trigger points” in lease and maintenance cycles that facilitate efficient retrofitting. Building owners who fail


to take action could be left with stranded assets as market demand for sustainable spaces grows and minimum energy efficiency standards tighten. A significant 77% of UK office stock currently has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating below B and is projected to be unlettable by 2030. UKGBC’s report emphasises that deep retrofitting is generally needed to achieve substantial cuts in operational energy use (60-65%), transition building systems away from fossil fuels, and meet best practice energy performance targets for offices by 2030-2035. Both


measurement and reporting of whole life carbon for major projects to enable evidence-based decision-making and demonstrate the carbon savings of retrofitting compared to new construction. Yetunde Abdul, head of climate action at UKGBC, says: “Retrofitting our commercial buildings is critical to achieving our net zero carbon goals. The scale of the challenge and the rate of decarbonisation needed means ambitions need to be redoubled, without overlooking the easy wins. “If all stakeholders are


prepared to collaborate and be transparent, there is huge long- term environmental, social and economic value to be secured.” The report includes a range


of real-world case studies that provide practical examples of retrofit strategies, and tangible outcomes across a range of metrics including operational energy performance, whole life carbon emissions and projected returns on investment, as well as health, wellbeing and social value.


EIBI | FEBRUARY 2024


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