The Energy Bill will include “transformational, radical proposals” on energy efficiency, according to climate change minister Greg Barker.
At oral questions last week, Barker said a feed-in tariff for energy-efficiency installations was “one of a number of measures under active consideration”.
Responding to a question by Tim Yeo, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Select Committee, Barker said the Energy Bill would feature energy efficiency measures. However, he admitted the details had not been finalised and would have to be introduced by government amendments as the Bill progressed through Parliament.
Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, said the news was a positive step and “better late than never”. Energy efficiency should have been in the Bill from the start, he added.
Barker also admitted there had been “shortcomings” in energy-efficiency programmes Cert and Cesp. However, the minister said he had been assured the targets for both schemes would be met.
The Department of Energy of Climate Change (Decc) reiterated that the 31 December deadline for both schemes would not be extended. Ofgem warned that suppliers who missed their targets could receive fines of up to 10 per cent of turnover.
This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 9th November 2012.
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