In a bid to tackle climate change and reduce the emissions being released into the air by domestic and commercial properties in the UK, the government has targets in place. These UK energy targets come with a series of measures and schemes including the RHI scheme which you might have heard of. However, a recent report suggests that the targets are not on track to be met and this is something that we should all be concerned about.
12 Million Homes
In a recent study into the progress of the UK energy targets, it was found that more than 12 million homes fall below grade C on EPCs. If you are unfamiliar with EPCs, you should know that this stands for Energy Performance Certificate and it measures the efficiency of a property. Anyone hoping to sell or rent out a property must provide an EPC.
With over 12 million homes in the UK not meeting grade A or even B on the rating scale, there is cause for concern. Lower ratings such as C or below mean that not only is more CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere but British homeowners are also spending more on their energy bills.
Scotland Leading The Way
When you look at the share of the homes in the UK nations that are rated below C, it is fairly obvious that Scotland is doing a much better job as a whole. While 59% is still a high figure at this stage in the project, it is low in comparison to the 67% held by Northern Ireland and Wales. In England, 62% of homes are rated between D-G on EPCs.
This is way off the targets set by the UK government to upgrade as many homes as possible to grade C by 2035. While 2035 is still quite a few years away, there isn’t much time when you consider how many homes still need to be upgraded. This target would not have been seen as unachievable when it was first set but we are still a long way off achieving it.
What Are The Government Doing?
The government might not be making all of the right moves when it comes to UK energy targets but they have put some schemes in place to try and achieve these goals. The Renewable Heat Incentive was created in an attempt to encourage homeowners to switch to renewable energy. This scheme is, however, set to end in March 2022. There is still time to apply for this if you haven’t already.
Other attempts to tackle this include the plans announced by the Welsh government who announced that any new homes that are built after 2025 will only be powered by clean energy. This plan is certainly one that has been welcomed by those of us concerned about global warming.
How Can CMS Surveyors Help?
There may be more than 12 million homes that are falling behind but this can be changed. At CMS Surveyors, we can help you make the switch to an air source heat pump and apply for the RHI scheme before it is too late. We also offer commercial solar and can aid with technical monitoring.
If you want to improve your EPC grade, get in touch with a member of our team today.