CIEH welcome allocation of additional funds from UK Government for energy efficiency measures

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) have welcomed the recent allocation of an additional £1bn from the UK Government to be spent on energy efficiency measures in Great Britain.

Emerging from the details of the recent Autumn Budget, the department for Business, Energy, and Industry Strategy (BEIS), recently announced that the additional funding, dubbed ECO+, will be targeted towards homes with the lowest energy efficiency ratings as well as those in the lower council tax bands.

CIEH have long called for the UK Government to provide more immediate and targeted measures aimed at improving the energy efficiency of homes in the UK, which are among the least energy efficient housing stock in Europe.

CIEH welcome the announcement that this additional funding will result in a large scale roll out of insulation measures in Great Britain, which will reduce household energy bills and cut emissions.

However, while this funding is welcomed, CIEH support calls from the Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group (EEIG) who have called on the UK Government to allocate £3bn over three years.

Finally, as ECO+ applies only to households in England, Scotland and Wales, there remains to be seen what support will be given to households in Northern Ireland. CIEH urge the UK Government to outline what support will be made available to ensure households in Northern Ireland receive similar support.

Ross Matthewman, Head of Policy and Campaigns at CIEH, said:

“The recent announcement of an additional £1bn in funding for energy efficiency measures is warmly welcomed by CIEH

We have long campaigned for the UK Government to introduce immediate and targeted energy efficiency measures and are glad these calls have been answered. Such measures provide support to the most vulnerable households, saving hundreds of pounds a year on energy bills, while also reducing housing emissions.
However, while this announcement is a good start, we do feel that this was a missed opportunity. We feel that the UK Government lack ambition in their approach by not supporting the EEIG’s calls to allocate £3bn to this programme. Furthermore, no one single policy lever will tackle soaring energy bills and the climate crisis. We will need a wide variety of policy levers mobilised such as regulations, incentives, advice, and other solutions to get on track for warmer homes.

Finally, while this is good news for households in England, Scotland, and Wales, CIEH await to see what measures will be taken to support households in Northern Ireland to insulate their homes.”