What are the main parties plans for the Energy Efficiency Retrofit industry?

Most of the major parties can agree on one thing, that households are paying too much in energy bills. What we have learnt is Labour has planned to cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030 and accelerate the UK’s efforts to reach net zero. 

Investment
The Labour plan of offering £6.6 billion investment, create 650,000 high-quality jobs and offer the finance needed to support investment in energy efficiency, is up and above the Conservatives £6 billion. This is great news for the industry, and should they be elected we will be working with them to support them to advise the development of their policies, such as ensuring the appropriate measures are taken to protect consumers with certified installers that have the right accreditations. The Lib Dem’s and Plaid Cymru both have not disclosed how much they are planning to invest in energy efficiency.  However, the SNP’s have announced they have £1.3 billion in investment plans for Scotland. As in all these things, the devil is in the detail!

Supporting the industry

Both the Labour and Conservatives show they are supporting energy efficiency firms, either through job creation or £1.1 billion investment into Green Industries. But what does this mean in real terms? While we appreciate the sentiment, their statement needs further clarification on what they consider as green industry and how will they divide up the investment to make the best use of the budget available.

The Conservatives show that they are willing to introduce more levies and charges to help pay for their green investment policies.

All major parties are stressing the need to support homes with the Lib Dems and the Green Party offering a wider range of policies to enable the consumer to use a range of renewable sources to power homes and industries. As you would expect from The Green Party, they have listed ambitious green policies, but at the same time it is difficult to understand how they are financed, and they are less detailed than the other parties.

What are the thoughts from firms in the industry?

In a recent meeting with other members of the EEIG, members were in agreement that the design of the schemes need to meet the current challenges of the industry, and they should take onboard the lessons learned from delivering the previous schemes so that they do not repeat the same mistakes. Installers need to be properly represented and brought to the table. Their professional experience should be a significant factor in the design and development of energy efficiency schemes.

The Federation will be doing all that we can to ensure that members are kept central to the future energy efficiency strategies in which we are aligned. It is our resolve to get industry around the table to help design deliverable schemes. We will make sure that we get your voices heard as we work together for a more sustainable and prosperous future in the industry. 

Sign up to become a Federation member

The federation’s aim is to bring together support for all of those involved in Energy Efficiency Retrofit across the insulation, renewable energy and low carbon heating footprint. Our focus will be about getting a good deal for the industry through influencing Government Policy and creating the right landscape for the industry to thrive and prosper.

Sign up today, call us on 01525 853300 or email membership@theiaaf.org or contact Iain Surman, IAAF Marketing and Membership Manager on 07852 216295.