Insulate Magazine Issue 11

www.insulatenetwork.com
Claire Thornhill, of Frontier Economics
commented:
“Buildings are an integral part of our energy
infrastructure system. If we are to de-carbonise in
a cost-effective way and keep energy bills as low
as possible we need an integrated and ambitious
infrastructure programme to de-carbonise our
buildings.
The Plan would require public investment in
household energy efficiency to be increased by
£1.1 billion per year – from £0.6 billion today to
£1.7 billion. A previous Frontier Economics report
that analysed Government data found that an
energy efficiency programme achieves comparable
economic returns to other infrastructure
programmes.”
Buildings Energy Performance Missing
The Government plans to spend £170 billion on
housing, economic infrastructure and R&D
programmes up until 2021/22. However, buildings
energy performance does not yet feature in
the Government’s infrastructure plans despite the
fact that it would help households to save on
average £270 every year off their energy bills,
boost the economy and reduce the need for new
energy supply infrastructure investment
elsewhere. The Building Energy Infrastructure
Programme is designed to leverage in £3.9 billion
of private investment per year.
This compelling report will be launched on 27th
September, followed by a Parliamentary launch
on 16th October – an event sponsored by one
of our supporters, Conservative MP Antoinette
Sandbach along with a tri-All Party Parliamentary
Grouping of PRASEG, Intelligent Energy and Fuel
Poverty and further supported by Lord Deben.
Parliamentarians will be introduced with a complete,
long-term and high quality energy efficiency
plan as well as opportunities to publically show
their support at the event.
Message to the Govenment
Our message to the Government is to support
this achievable commitment to keeping energy
costs in British homes and buildings down and
deliver a high quality, sustainable programme.
A programme that can restore business and
consumer confidence and unleash private investment
in the industry - ensuring long-term
improvements in buildings energy performance.
Now let’s see Government work with us to make
this happen and ensure that the benefits of raising
the building energy performance of our buildings
are grasped – from the lasting reductions
in fuel bills and fuel poverty to meeting carbon
reduction targets and economic growth. This
Programme will surely make our buildings great
again and make us proud, resulting in an industry
prepared and future-fit and with a solid basis of
consumer confidence going forward.
Sarah Kostense-Winterton is
Executive Director of MIMA, the Mineral Wool
Insulation Manufacturers Association and provides
the secretariat to the Energy Efficiency Infrastructure
Group (EEIG).
For further details of the EEIG or if you would
like to join, please contact Sarah at
sarah@mima.info
12 www.insulatenetwork.com