Perspectives: energy efficiency is the first step

The energy we don't consume is energy we don't need to generate

Another wet Tuesday in London. For today's Perspective, we return to the topic of energy efficiency. It may not be very glamorous, but every unit of energy we don't consume, is one that we don't need to generate. Its probably the single most important action we can take as a society, but its one that some governments seem to think is not important.

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According to a report from the parliamentary environmental audit committee (EAC), reported here, the UK government missed a “crucial window of opportunity” to boost energy efficiency and reduce emissions last summer. Despite progress being made on switching to greener electricity generation, not enough is being done to hit current government targets. The call for a national “war effort” on energy efficiency was made in the wake of the energy bills crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and political upheaval in the UK between July and October 2022. The EAC called for the introduction of onshore windfarms, the installation of solar panels on new buildings, and the end of oil and gas field licensing, in order to cut energy bills and increase security of supply.

Why is this so important? The built environment, encompassing residential and commercial buildings, communal areas such as parks, and supporting infrastructure such as energy networks, mobility, and water supply, is an important sustainability theme that shouldn't be taken for granted. It is an integral part of societal existence and a major decarbonisation (40% of energy-related GHG emissions) and resource consumption problem (40% of global raw materials) that needs investor, government, business and consumer attention. It can have significant impacts on our health, well-being and equity & inclusion, notably as climate change and climate-induced migration is steadily and significantly increasing the number of people exposed to extreme weather, including heat stress.

Click here and read more on some of the issues and challenges involved in energy efficiency in the residential sector.