Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Heat and Buildings Strategy, what assessment he has made of the role of building standards and certifications in improving energy efficiency standards of the built environment.

The Heat and Building Strategy sets out how Government is taking a ‘fabric first’ approach to improving the energy efficiency of buildings; this ensures transition to low-carbon heating is cost effective.

The Strategy sets out measures including:

• Upgrading fuel-poor homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2030 where reasonably practicable to do so.
• Additional funding to the Home Upgrade Grant and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – investing a further £950m and £800m respectively over 2022/23 to 2024/25. Both schemes use Trustmark standards to ensure quality installations and both use an improvement in EPC to measure increased energy efficiency.
• Consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable.
• Setting long-term regulatory standards to upgrade private-rented homes to EPC C by 2028.
• Requiring mortgage lenders to disclose energy efficiency standards of their portfolios in order to incentivise them to provide attractive finance offers so their customers can retrofit their homes.
• Considering setting a long-term regulatory standard for all homes, subject to consultation.