Insulate Magazine Issue 12 - November 2017

The only independent insulation industry trade magazine
insulate columnist
Renewed Aspiration and
Ambition for Energy Efficiency
Sarah Kostense-Winterton Executive Director, MIMA
On Thursday 12 October, The Guardian headline read “UK climate change masterplan – the
grownups have finally won”. This announced the first of two major wins for MIMA, for the EEIG and
for the industry with a renewed aspiration and ambition from Energy Minister, Claire Perry in the
very long-awaited Clean Growth Strategy. The announcement that saw MIMA and the EEIG’s aspirational
target of bringing homes up to EPC C by 2035 being publicly supported by the Energy Minister and the
Government.
Claire Perry told her colleagues in Parliament that the
measures in the Clean Growth Strategy “not only continue
our work in cutting emissions, but we can also cut
consumer bills, drive economic growth, create high-value
jobs right across the UK and improve our quality of life. It
is a win-win opportunity: it is ours for the taking”.
Mirroring the messages of the EEIG, it could have almost
been lifted from the EEIG commissioned Frontier Economics
report, “Affordable Warmth, Clean Growth”. Even
her predecessor, Nick Hurd acknowledged the that strategy
was much better than when he left his position as
minister.
This was swiftly followed by a second win from the National
Infrastructure Commission, recognising buildings
energy efficiency as an infrastructure priority saying “Two
priorities for achieving low-cost, low carbon are clear. The
first is to improve energy efficiency. The UK has old and
leaky buildings, which means households and firms use
far more heat than should be required, pushing up consumer
bills and increasing the costs of moving towards
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