Abstract
Domestic energy use accounts for more than a quarter of total energy use in the United Kingdom (UK), with space and water heating accounting for almost 80% of this consumption. Energy efficiency is often the simplest and most cost-effective way of reducing energy use, and improving domestic energy efficiency can contribute significantly to reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A significant proportion of the UK’s energy stock remains inefficient, and over 80% of current housing stock will still be standing in 2050. Therefore, retrofitting existing buildings is fundamental to achieving energy efficiency improvements in the domestic sector. In order to reduce carbon emissions and improve domestic energy efficiency, the UK government launched the Green Deal in 2013 to improve the energy efficiency in buildings in the UK, reduce emissions from homes by 29%, and help meet carbon reduction targets. It aimed to overcome existing perceived barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency measures in the home and enable households and businesses to make energy-saving improvements to their properties, delivering a range of important benefits to the owner/occupier as a result. This paper critically assesses the impact of the Green Deal in shaping pro-environmental behaviours by drawing on two case studies. Lessons learnt from the UK’s Green Deal energy policy are presented, and implications for the UK government’s role in shaping energy policy and pro-environmental behaviours are considered.
Highlights
The United Kingdom (UK) government launched the Green Deal in 2013 to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the UK, reduce emissions from homes by 29%, and help meet carbon reduction targets [1]
We can conclude that whilst the Green Deal pilots were a broadly positive experience for participants with greater understanding of the savings to be made from having energy efficiency measures installed, few would proceed to use Green Deal finance
The Green Deal focusses on energy efficiency through a lens in which a choice is made to take up energy efficiency measures in the home
Summary
The United Kingdom (UK) government launched the Green Deal in 2013 to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the UK, reduce emissions from homes by 29%, and help meet carbon reduction targets [1]. The policy aimed to retrofit 14 million homes by 2020, reduce fuel poverty, and create 250,000 jobs [1] It was the Government’s flagship energy efficiency policy for domestic buildings in the Energy Act 2011 [2], replacing energy efficiency schemes such as the Warm Front, the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT), and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP). In June 2015, it was estimated that 30% of UK homes with lofts did not have at least 125 mm of loft insulation [8], and research showed that loft insulation could not be given away at zero cost due to a range of barriers [9] This discrepancy between energy efficiency behaviour and what could be termed economically ‘rational’ consumer choices suggests that economic barriers such as access to capital, upfront costs, and the relatively cheap cost of energy are not the only factors influencing people’s uptake of energy efficiency measures
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