UK home energy use down, but not enough: report

UK officials aren’t gathering enough information from real homes to accurately determine how government programmes are affecting energy consumption and household energy efficiency efforts, according to a new report (PDF) from the House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee.

The report, “Programmes to reduce household energy consumption,” also concludes that, while consumption in the UK has started to fall, the nation lags behind other countries in the European Union.

Another problem the report identifies is that citizens are “confronted with a confusingly wide range of advice on energy efficiency from the Government, energy suppliers and others.” It recommends that information to consumers should be routinely evaluated by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The report notes that while household energy consumption in the UK has declined over the past three years, overall consumption was still 8 percent higher in 2007 than in 1990.

“Without sufficient improvements in energy efficiency, energy consumption may rise again due to trends such as the growth in the number of households, the demand to use more electronic appliances and a desire to live in warmer homes,” the report’s summary states. “To offset these upward pressures and achieve further reductions, the key challenges for Government are how to strengthen and improve enforcement of minimum energy efficiency standards for new homes, and how to coordinate and focus government programmes to increase the energy efficiency of existing homes and achieve behaviour change by householders.”