Over the past years the Government has made a well publicised effort through market mechanism to drive energy efficiency in existing domestic properties. Just as in the commercial sector, most of the existing domestic housing stock will be the same in 2050 as it is today (in terms of building fabric), so the 2016 new build zero carbon homes target is at best incidental to our current energy and climate change targets.
Apart from the recent legislation in relation to Energy Performance Certificates, the main policy mechanism for driving exisiting domestic energy efficiency has been the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), which requires energy suppliers to spend a certain proportion of their revenue on energy efficiency measures in the home. However, the implementation of CERT has been a troublesome process. Energy companies have sought the most cost efficient measures, such as sending low-energy light bulbs to their service users-an initiative too trivial to make a real impact on climate change.
The Community Energy Savings Programme(CESP) is more specific and targeted, mandating the energy efficiency measures companies are permitted to use and which they must put in place prior to 2012. It is an intriguing piece of legislation, in relation to it ring fencing £350m of investment from energy suppliers and , for the first time from energy generators.