Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential behavioural effects on managers and users of Government buildings of the repeal of regulations on display energy certificates; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Williams
My officials are liaising with their colleagues across government to attempt to assess the behavioural effects of the Display Energy Certificate regime. Included with my Department's consultation on the future of the Display Energy Certificate regime, was a call for evidence, seeking from across the public sector information relating to the use and usefulness of Display Energy Certificates. We will assess the information provided through the discussions across Government, and in response to the call for evidence, to form a view of the behavioural effects of the current regime and of possible changes to it.
The possible changes set out in the consultation included a range of options, from doing nothing; through making some changes to reduce the amount of gold-plating in the current Display Energy Certificate regime; to replacing the requirement to obtain and display a Display Energy Certificate with one to obtain and display an Energy Performance Certificate, adding for public buildings the requirement to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate to the requirement to display them where they have been obtained that already exists for commercial buildings over 500m2. We will consider the responses to the consultation before forming a view as to which of the options it contained should be implemented. This will be set out in the government response to the consultation, which will be published in due course.
There is no requirement in the Display Energy Certificate regime to implement any recommendations made, although it may be prudent for cost-effective recommendations to be implemented where possible.
All Government departments have targets set under the Greening Government commitments, progress towards which must be regularly reported to the Home Affairs (Greening Government Commitments) sub-Committee.
Furthermore, the State of the Estate report, which covers the civil estate, is published annually by the Cabinet Office and reports progress against targets for energy performance. The State of the Estate Report 2013 reported that cross-government greenhouse gas emissions were, on average, 14% less in 2012/13 than in 2009/10. This represents a slight improvement on the 12% achieved the previous year and that all departments reported improvements against the 2009/10 baseline. Reduced energy consumption across the government estate is estimated to have saved the taxpayer £44 million since 2009/10.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures that reduce energy consumption in Government buildings (a) above and (b) below 500 square metres in area he plans to remove; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Williams
My officials are liaising with their colleagues across government to attempt to assess the behavioural effects of the Display Energy Certificate regime. Included with my Department's consultation on the future of the Display Energy Certificate regime, was a call for evidence, seeking from across the public sector information relating to the use and usefulness of Display Energy Certificates. We will assess the information provided through the discussions across Government, and in response to the call for evidence, to form a view of the behavioural effects of the current regime and of possible changes to it.
The possible changes set out in the consultation included a range of options, from doing nothing; through making some changes to reduce the amount of gold-plating in the current Display Energy Certificate regime; to replacing the requirement to obtain and display a Display Energy Certificate with one to obtain and display an Energy Performance Certificate, adding for public buildings the requirement to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate to the requirement to display them where they have been obtained that already exists for commercial buildings over 500m2. We will consider the responses to the consultation before forming a view as to which of the options it contained should be implemented. This will be set out in the government response to the consultation, which will be published in due course.
There is no requirement in the Display Energy Certificate regime to implement any recommendations made, although it may be prudent for cost-effective recommendations to be implemented where possible.
All Government departments have targets set under the Greening Government commitments, progress towards which must be regularly reported to the Home Affairs (Greening Government Commitments) sub-Committee.
Furthermore, the State of the Estate report, which covers the civil estate, is published annually by the Cabinet Office and reports progress against targets for energy performance. The State of the Estate Report 2013 reported that cross-government greenhouse gas emissions were, on average, 14% less in 2012/13 than in 2009/10. This represents a slight improvement on the 12% achieved the previous year and that all departments reported improvements against the 2009/10 baseline. Reduced energy consumption across the government estate is estimated to have saved the taxpayer £44 million since 2009/10.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures he has put in place to reduce energy consumption in Government buildings (a) above and (b) below 500 square metres in area since May 2010.
Answered by Stephen Williams
My officials are liaising with their colleagues across government to attempt to assess the behavioural effects of the Display Energy Certificate regime. Included with my Department's consultation on the future of the Display Energy Certificate regime, was a call for evidence, seeking from across the public sector information relating to the use and usefulness of Display Energy Certificates. We will assess the information provided through the discussions across Government, and in response to the call for evidence, to form a view of the behavioural effects of the current regime and of possible changes to it.
The possible changes set out in the consultation included a range of options, from doing nothing; through making some changes to reduce the amount of gold-plating in the current Display Energy Certificate regime; to replacing the requirement to obtain and display a Display Energy Certificate with one to obtain and display an Energy Performance Certificate, adding for public buildings the requirement to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate to the requirement to display them where they have been obtained that already exists for commercial buildings over 500m2. We will consider the responses to the consultation before forming a view as to which of the options it contained should be implemented. This will be set out in the government response to the consultation, which will be published in due course.
There is no requirement in the Display Energy Certificate regime to implement any recommendations made, although it may be prudent for cost-effective recommendations to be implemented where possible.
All Government departments have targets set under the Greening Government commitments, progress towards which must be regularly reported to the Home Affairs (Greening Government Commitments) sub-Committee.
Furthermore, the State of the Estate report, which covers the civil estate, is published annually by the Cabinet Office and reports progress against targets for energy performance. The State of the Estate Report 2013 reported that cross-government greenhouse gas emissions were, on average, 14% less in 2012/13 than in 2009/10. This represents a slight improvement on the 12% achieved the previous year and that all departments reported improvements against the 2009/10 baseline. Reduced energy consumption across the government estate is estimated to have saved the taxpayer £44 million since 2009/10.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received on the timing of the introduction of the carbon compliance element of the zero carbon standard for new homes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Government has publicly committed to introducing the zero carbon standard for new homes in 2016. This commitment was informed by a range of representations, most recently to the consultation “Next steps to Zero Carbon – Allowable Solutions” published in August 2013. The consultation and summary of responses to that consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/next-steps-to-zero-carbon-homes-allowable-solutions.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the evidence he has received on the practicality of introducing the carbon compliance element of the zero carbon standard for new homes in 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Government will publish an impact assessment to accompany its proposals for the carbon compliance element of the 2016 zero carbon home standard for new homes in due course. This will be based on further research and evidence exploring the practicalities, costs and benefits of the Government’s approach. This will also consider existing evidence, including that from the AIMC4 project in which a consortium of major house builders with the support of Innovate UK has undertaken work with the aim of pioneering the volume production of homes built to level 4 energy standards of the Code for Sustainable Homes.