net zero

Net zero is not pie in the sky – but it will take fundamental changes

Net zero by 2050 can be achieved but only if consumers change how they think about energy, according to Louis Burford, of Centrica Business Solutions. He sets out his view that this societal shift will only be possible through action from government and pinpointing the right incentives.

Sainsbury’s granted water supply licence

Sainsbury’s has become the latest company to be granted a self-supply water and sewerage licence by Ofwat. The supermarket told Utility Week that the move is part of its net zero strategy, which includes a pledge to achieve water neutrality by 2040.

Government eyes Green Investment Bank 2.0

Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed that the government is exploring the rebirth of the Green Investment Bank. The minister of state for energy said there was an “ongoing debate” within government about how to create a new mechanism to help finance the investment required to support the UK’s transition to net-zero emissions.

Build Back Better: Plan for Utopia not 1984

Energy industry survey shows concern over policy gaps

Energy efficiency has been cited as the “biggest missed opportunity of the last decade” in a report released today by the Energy Institute. The Energy Barometer 2020, an annual survey of energy professionals, found that almost three quarters of the 350 respondents believe the government is not doing enough reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Deben: Government advisors don’t understand energy efficiency

Resistance from the top echelons of government to a rapid rollout of energy efficiency measures reflects a lack of knowledge on the issue, Lord Deben has said. The Committee on Climate Change chair also called on BEIS to set up a mechanism to curb regulations that get in the way of the UK’s broader net-zero goal.

Government has wasted opportunities to tackle fuel poverty

Targets for upgrading the energy efficiency of fuel poor homes will be missed this year, in 2025 and 2030 because available funds have not been effectively targeted, an expert committee has concluded. Meanwhile, data has revealed that the actual number of homes struggling to pay their energy bills could be double the accepted estimate for those in fuel poverty.

IEA head says hydrogen is ‘ready for the big time’

CCC sets new date for ban on petrol and diesel car sales

Phasing out the sale of internal combustion engine cars and vans should be accelerated to 2032, the government’s influential climate change watchdog has urged. In its latest progress report on the UK’s efforts to cut emissions, the Committee on Climate Change also urges a rapid acceleration of hydrogen production and a move to annual Contracts for Difference auctions.

‘If UK doesn’t back green hubs, investors will look elsewhere’

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has urged the government to commit to low-carbon clusters across the country or risk investment going abroad. He also put forward a spirited defence of hydrogen and CCS as “proven” technologies.

CBI urges government to close net-zero policy gap quickly

The Confederation of British Industry has put pressure on the government to make up for lost time during the pandemic by ensuring that its decarbonisation policy framework is in place by the end of this year.

PM urged to take note of public zeal for net zero action

The members of the pioneering citizens assembly, which has been set up to help the UK chart a route to net-zero emissions, have overwhelmingly backed using post-pandemic stimulus measures to support carbon reduction. The chairs of the select committees which commissioned the assembly urged Boris Johnson to take account of the findings from an interim report on the views of the Climate Assembly UK.

Build Back Better quick wins: Audrey Gallacher on creating 42,000 jobs

Build Back Better quick wins: Michael Lewis on efficiency and heat pumps

‘As homes become offices, energy efficiency is more vital than ever’

A national home upgrade programme will be the centrepiece of a five-point plan by Energy UK for putting the sector at the heart of the economy’s post-lockdown recovery. The trade body’s economics director Sam Hollister put the case forward that the widespread adoption of homeworking during the lockdown had increased the urgency of improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock