Fourth Report - Energy Efficiency of Existing Homes

The government acknowledged the challenge and stated its commitment to improving homes to EPC Band C by 2035, outlining ongoing actions such as consulting on minimum standards for private and social rented sectors and committing to review owner-occupied regulations in 2021.

The government commits to publishing a call for evidence to initiate a strategic dialogue with consumers and industry on affordability and fairness, including the balance of levies on electricity versus gas bills, to address current price signal distortions and encourage decarbonisation.

The government states the National Audit Office is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the Voucher scheme with Treasury participation, due in early July, in addition to an independent evaluation by Ipsos MORI.

The government has allocated an additional £300 million to the 5 Local Energy Hubs to deliver energy efficiency upgrades to 30,000 homes by December 2021, expanding funding and local authority involvement.

The government acknowledged the need for long-term certainty for industry and households, stating that the upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will outline its approach. It also highlighted ongoing efforts to address the skills gap, including the Green Homes Grant Skills Competition and plans to upskill over 7,000 heat pump installers annually.

The government stated its commitment to creating 2 million green jobs by 2030, highlighting the Green Jobs Taskforce and existing significant funding for training initiatives, including the Green Homes Grant Skills competition and various educational programmes.

The government is working with the Green Jobs Taskforce to produce an Action Plan for Net Zero skills and is actively collaborating with industry and education providers to increase the number of trained heat pump installers. They expect industry to be able to upskill over 7,000 installers per year by the end of 2021 and are also contributing to a broader skills analysis by CITB.

The government welcomes the Committee's support for minimum energy performance standards across all tenures and lists specific actions taken or committed to, including consulting on strengthening standards for the Private Rented Sector (2025/2028), committing to consult on social housing standards, and committing to consult in 2021 on regulatory measures for owner-occupied homes.

The government is reforming public procurement policy through new legislation and a National Procurement Policy Statement to embed national priorities like tackling climate change. This framework, alongside actions from the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, will enable the public sector to drive demand for green products, including sustainable materials in contracts.