The government’s Energy Efficiency Strategy published this week looks at implementing measures to reduce energy consumption by 11% by the end of the decade.
While the Chartered Institution for Building Services Engineers (Cibse) readily acknowledges energy efficiency should be at the heart of policy – demand side reduction is vital – the deteriorating energy picture suggests we need to act right now to make a difference.
Ofgem’s predictions are by 2015/16 the margin in UK installed energy capacity will have reduced from 14% to 4%, or even lower. In the UK buildings consume over 40% of energy used.
Cibse maintains there is a need to be implementing simple, common sense measures; measures which its building performance assessments have shown can reduce energy usage by one fifth.
Using technology and engineering know-how already in reach, top performers at Cibse’s Building Performance Awards have shown it is possible to slash fuel usage by up to 50%.
Cibse President David Fisk commented: “Managing energy may seem a bit of a boring, technical backwater down in the boiler room. It is anything but. It can help us to keep the lights on, keep the less well-off warm, reduce our dependence on imported energy, reduce the levels of investment needed for new generating capacity and contribute to a stronger economy.”
This call to action also comes at a time when the EU has announced it is taking legal action against the UK government for failing to implement energy efficiency measures to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).