Energy efficiency and demand-side reduction (DSR) are subjects “not well represented” within the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) thinking, a report published by the ECC select committee has found.
Last Friday the select committee published its priorities for the current parliamentary term report, which outlines the subjects upon which DECC will be scrutinised. In order to identify the most pressing topics the select committee met with a large number of stakeholders, more than 100 of which concluded that efficiency and associated measures seemed to be glossed over by the department.
Stakeholders also concluded that energy efficiency and DSR efforts need to be more focused towards consumers and that this could be achieved by ensuring energy bills were more transparent.
During one particular session noted within the report four outcomes were highlighted as being integral to the select committee’s work. Primarily it urged the committee to shift the debate towards the subject of heat and to understand all barriers to energy efficiency deployment.
Stakeholders also stressed the need for DECC to learn lessons from energy efficiency schemes past and present and called upon the committee to provide new analysis on consumer engagement.
Lastly, stakeholders wanted DECC to be held accountable for the deployment of efficient technologies, particularly in relation to those contributing towards meeting fuel poverty targets.
While efficiency is not to be one of the select committee’s highest priorities – which will instead centre on holding DECC to account on the ‘energy trilemma’ – it is seeking submissions on potentially disruptive and emerging technologies which could help the department meets its goals and has confirmed it will keep a “watching brief” on the UK’s smart meter deployment to ensure it continues to progress towards its targets.