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T he imperative to tackle climate change is more pressing than ever . A crucial step towards meeting this challenge is increasing energy efficiency in the built environment . However , energy efficiency is not simply a climate issue : it can also boost GDP , improve energy independence , enable more efficient manufacturing , decrease emissions and place less strain on the public budget .
Increasing energy efficiency can help build a more prosperous , resilient and sustainable United Kingdom , by impacting positively on :
Jobs – through investment in new , greener businesses , processes , products and services and the creation of new , green jobs .
Communities – through energy-bill savings for each UK household – a step towards tackling the cost of living crisis .
Health – through cleaner air and healthy temperatures , as well as mitigating mental health issues arising from excess cold in homes .
Unlocking these benefits will require a step change in action . Today , despite many policy interventions , the UK ’ s homes and buildings ( the ‘ built environment ’) still represent about 17 % of all carbon emissions .
To deliver significant change , the UK will need to accelerate action . It won ’ t be easy : there are many barriers to overcome .
Today , despite many policy interventions , the UK ’ s homes and buildings ( the ‘ built environment ’) still represent about 17 % of all carbon emissions .
Making the UK ’ s buildings more energy efficient means tackling low demand , insufficient and fragmented supply , misaligned incentives and standards , limited financial support for installation costs and skills shortages .
Combined public and private sector action is needed to deliver the energy efficiency prize . Strong signals from the public sector can enable the private sector to deliver change at scale , while greater ambition from the private sector can allow the public sector to implement regulations needed to ramp up energy efficiency . Communities should be at the heart of all such plans .
The insights in our new report can help move the built environment closer to net zero , achieving not only sustainability goals , but social goals , too . Read the report here : Accelerating energy efficiency in the built environment . �
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