Energy and climate change - energy efficiency
The most cost effective way of reducing emissions is to use energy more efficiently. It can also improve productivity and can contribute to the security of our energy supplies by reducing our reliance on imported energy and ensuring we make maximum use of our own and global energy resources. Improving the energy performance of our homes and businesses can also play an important role in reducing emissions helping us all to manage our energy bills.
There is no single policy that can improve efficiency across all sectors in the UK, and so Defra has a range of policies designed to tackle energy efficiency including the:
- household sector – we are improving the efficiency of buildings themselves, aiming for zero-carbon new homes by 2016 and new buildings by 2019, as well as the products and services within them, and providing people with information and advice on how to improve their energy efficiency, for example through the Act on CO2 carbon calculator and advice line;
- business and public sectors – we are providing financial incentives and setting targets for organisations, as well as providing information and advice; and
- transport sector, we are working with industry and other governments to improve the efficiency of vehicles, and promoting innovation and design.
- Internationally, we are working with the EU towards a 20% reduction in EU energy consumption by 2020, and with the G8 nations as well as others through the Renewable Energy And Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).
If we can reduce the amount of energy we use through improvements in energy efficiency we will reduce carbon emissions, reduce the need for additional energy supplies and reduce costs for consumers. We expect our current polices to reduce energy demand by 152TWh per annum by 2020
Latest news
June 2008 – publication of the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation, setting out the role that energy efficiency will play in helping us achieve our targets.
Saving energy can reduce the amount of renewable energy needed to meet our renewable energy target by reducing our overall energy consumption; and it is also generally cheaper and more cost effective than investing in new renewables generation plant. We estimate that energy efficiency measures already in place will reduce the level of renewables we need to deploy by 2020 by 8.4%.
We will also consult later this year [2008] on the potential for further energy efficiency measures, especially in the existing housing stock, leading to a Low Carbon Homes Strategy in 2009.
Our intention is to introduce polices so that every sector of the economy benefits from energy efficiency and that where possible all economic opportunities to save energy are realised.
29 June 2007 - UK’s Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2007: brings together current and planned policies and measures to improve energy efficiency and meet the energy saving targets under the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive. Together these measures should deliver energy savings of around 18% by 2016.
- UK Energy Efficiency Action Plan (PDF 450 KB)
Page last modified: 26 June 2008
Page published: 01 December, 2005