Report criticised performance gap between effectiveness of energy efficiency measures and designed performance

UK builders will need to improve the energy efficiency of one building every minute until 2050 if the government is to meet its climate change commitments, a report concludes.

The report by the Centre for Low Carbon Futures and the Energy Savings Trust added that there was also a  challenge of getting improvements right each time in a sector where professed energy savings are not always realised.

The government is committed to cutting the UK’s carbon emissions by 80%, from 1990 levels, by 2050. That inevitably entails a big push for greater energy efficiency in buildings because they are responsible for 45% of the UK’s emissions.

But today’s report concluded: “Retrofitting of existing buildings for improved energy performance will play a vital role in achieving the UK’s carbon reduction targets, but the problem is complex and the route to optimum effectiveness is not yet clear.”

It also said there was a skills shortage in the industry when it came to energy efficiency measures hampering an increase in the rate of installation.

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