Energy minister stresses energy efficiency to meet carbon targets

Better energy efficiency from buildings has been declared by Energy Minister Stephen Timms as even more important than increasing the use of renewable energy in helping meet goals to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions set out in last year’s Energy White Paper. Speaking at ‘Resource 04 — low carbon showcase’ conference and exhibition at BRE, he called for a doubling of the rate of improvement in energy efficiency compared to recent decades. ‘Buildings contribute almost half of UK carbon emissions, and homes are just over half of that,’ he reminded his audience. ‘It is important that we do not neglect the very important role that buildings have to play.’ In achieving the 10.4% renewables target for 2010, which has recently been extended to 15.4% by 2015, Stephen Timms sees a major opportunity for solar photo-voltaics being incorporated into the fabric of roofs, walls and glazing of new and existing buildings — encouraging a confident solar industry in the UK. Putting the task faced by buildings in reducing emissions into perspective, former CIBSE Terry Wyatt puts carbon (not carbon dioxide) emissions from buildings at 75 Mt a year. The pace of reduction is 10 Mt by 2010, a further 10 Mt by 2020 and an overall 50% by 2030. The final target is a 60% cut by 2050, requiring buildings to emit 45 Mt less carbon per year than they do now. ‘We had better get a move on,’ says Terry Wyatt. Putting the task into perspective, Terry Wyatt says that the 45 Mt of emissions due to heating and ventilation for buildings at present has to be reduced to 18 Mt by 2050 and to 9 Mt by 2200. Terry Wyatt concludes, ‘We should stop looking at renewable electricity and start looking at renewable heat because we use much more of it.’