Simplicity of measurement is needed to encourage people to seriously consider the energy efficiency of a potential new home

The improvement of energy efficiency of the home is something that successive governments have tried to tackle, yet in the past twenty years, carbon emissions have only fallen by 3% [1]. This would indicate that there are some fundamental hurdles in the way, which are hindering the reduction of emissions.

Energy Performance Certificates

The previous Labour Government introduced the mandatory use of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) in 2007. There is a legal requirement to provide EPCs for all sales, lettings and sub-lettings of both commercial and domestic properties [2]. They were established in an attempt to indicate potential energy improvement measures that could be made to a property and to identify any that have already been completed [2]. They are also intended to give an indication of the potential energy bills that a property could incur and the level of carbon dioxide emissions. Properties are rated on a scale of 1-100 and in categories A-G. The Energy Saving Trust argues that such a scheme is confusing and means that any potential buyer has to be educated about the system in order to understand it [3].

An Alternative

A report carried out by the watchdog Consumer Focus said that only 18% of homebuyers and tenants took the EPC into consideration when looking at potential properties [2]. It is argued that, if people could easily compare energy bills of properties (in a way that is more understandable to the every day home buyer or tenant), then they are more likely to take the energy consumption of a property into consideration when looking at it as a potential home [2]. The Energy Saving Trust has voiced its concerns over the current system of EPC and argues that the energy performance of a house should be as easily understood and comparable as that of comparing motor vehicles [3]. Under a new plan, which the government’s energy efficiency watchdog is working on, it may become compulsory for estate agents to provide a home’s annual average energy bill [3]. It is thought that showing the average running costs of a home is a more understandable measure for potential buyers and it would increase the likelihood that people seriously consider greener methods for home energy consumption.

Next year, as part of the Green Deal, the government is planning to introduce loans, which people can apply for to upgrade the energy efficiency of their home. Repayment of the loan will be tied to the house and not to the individual who took out the loan. Making sure that the energy performance of a property is easily understandable will be crucial in gaining support for such a scheme. Choosing the greener option is still seen as the more expensive option by many people and is often one that people avoid because they know little about it. The revised scheme will go some way to help make it more approachable and understandable to those who are not engaged in green topics on an every day basis.

References

[1] Energy Efficiency News (2011) [Online]. Available from: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/policy/i/3868/

[2] http://www.greendeal-providers.co.uk/how-green-deal-works/energy-performance-certificate/

[3]TheTimes(2011) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article2988669.ece