UKGBC reacts to Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has today reacted to the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC, said:

“We’re pleased to see the Government bring forward a package of measures that begins to recognise the importance of a multi-faceted approach to tackling the climate crisis.

“Retrofitting our existing homes, which are some of the draughtiest in Europe, is critical to driving down emissions across the country. We therefore welcome the extension of the Green Homes Grant, which will give installers more time to help more people upgrade their homes. We also welcome the commitment to public building energy efficiency – although this is not new.

“But we urgently need clarity on how much of the £9.2bn Conservative manifesto energy efficiency commitment is actually being brought forward to support this. And, whilst a target on the number of heat pumps is a good start, we’ll also need money and incentives to back it up. Government should allocate £5.8bn of public capital over the next four years towards supporting heat pump deployment in existing homes, drawn from the £100bn infrastructure budget for this Parliament.

“If the Government is to actually deliver on the 250,000 jobs from a Green Industrial Revolution, it must use public money to unlock private sector investment, acting smarter to stimulate market growth by providing funding certainty well beyond the next financial year. This will give the industry the confidence to invest in their workforce, hire more staff and develop their supply chains. But cash alone won’t fix this. We also need structural incentives to boost consumer demand for green homes – this should include a range of attractive financing options and incentives, like variable stamp duty to make greener homes cheaper to buy, along with reduced VAT on home renovation to encourage householders to make their homes warmer and more comfortable.”

-ENDS-

The Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan announcement is available here.

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