Chapter Summary

Our intention is to put in place a package of support and incentives that will be sufficient to deliver our ambition. New regulatory levers should only be considered where aims cannot be better met in other ways.

We do however want to ensure that existing regulation is as effective as possible and achieves the desired outcomes. So the Government will examine how existing tools, such as Energy Performance Certificates and Building Regulations, can encourage the take-up of opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of buildings before considering any further regulation. One option may be to widen Building Regulations that require energy saving measures to accompany certain types of building work, providing it is cost effective to do so. We are also considering working with representatives of the building trade to design a voluntary code of practice on energy efficiency and low carbon energy. These ideas are set out in this chapter, which seeks views on their potential, and evidence to inform the development of any proposals.

We will conduct a review to assess whether sufficient progress has been made in reducing emissions from existing buildings by the end of the first carbon budget period (which runs from 2008 to 2012), before we look again at whether other options should be considered.