CIBSE welcomes the newly elected Labour government’s pledges on zero carbon target, clean energy and housing, and looks forward to collaborating with the new administration to reduce energy demand in buildings, ensuring the success of these ambitious goals.
The Labour government has committed to several ambitious goals, including:
- Establishing the publicly owned Great British Energy and investing in clean energy, aiming for almost all of the country's electricity to be UK-generated and zero carbon by 2030.
- Upgrading the National Grid and reforming planning to expedite clean energy projects.
- Ensuring that local communities benefit directly from hosting clean energy infrastructure.
- Upgrade four million homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C in their first term and invest £2.3bn per year to provide financial support for households to insulate their homes.
- Deliver affordable homes in a new zero carbon homes programme, ensuring all council and housing associations reach EPC band C. This comes alongside a commitment to provide funding to support councils and housing associations to build new homes to Passivhaus standards.
CIBSE is poised to play a vital role in supporting these initiatives, particularly in reducing the energy demand of buildings. In order to meet the government’s targets for 2030 and the clean energy pledges, it is crucial to reduce our overall energy consumption. This involves reducing the need for heating and cooling in buildings, while providing a comfortable and healthy environment to occupants, an area where CIBSE has already made and continues to make significant contributions. Our efforts in promoting energy-efficient practices and technologies in building design and operation is essential in achieving the new government's targets.
Regarding construction, the Labour Party has emphasised planning and infrastructure reforms, housebuilding and home energy upgrades in its manifesto. New Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to act swiftly to implement key pledges, particularly on housing. Labour has committed to building 1.5 million new homes and upgrading the energy performance of 4 million homes over the next parliament. They are also anticipated to introduce a new planning framework before the end of the month, reinstating mandatory housing targets and reinforcing presumptions in favour of sustainable development.
CIBSE is ready to support the government in these endeavours, ensuring that the built environment is both energy-efficient and sustainable. We look forward to working closely with the new administration to help make these ambitious plans a reality, ultimately contributing to a greener, more resilient future for the UK.
CIBSE’s manifesto, as published before the elections, can be found at https://www.cibse.org/policy-insight/news/cibse-s-manifesto-2024