Reducing UK residential carbon emissions by 60 %

Panel: Panel 1. Energy efficiency – a strategic choice for Europe

Author:
Brenda Boardman, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford

Abstract

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) has identified that the UK needs to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 60 % by 2050 if it is to play its part in preventing catastrophic climate change and to go down the road of sustainable development. This paper will summarise a UK government funded project, “The 40 % house”, which aims to identify the main policy implications for the domestic sector if the challenging reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is to be achieved by 2050.

The study considers both reduced demand and household-level new and renewable energy supply technologies. The assessment will be in terms of total energy consumption and power demand levels. The first task is to establish likely levels of consumption, as a result of trends in household numbers, equipment ownership, effects of climate change (on heating and cooling) and known policies. The potential for reductions will incorporate changed levels of building and demolition in the housing stock, decision trees on technology choices to avoid incompatibility, new Building Regulation standards, more efficient appliances and so forth. Consumer attitudes to, and choices from, lower carbon options will be investigated through focus groups, together with the impact of in-house energy supply (pv, micro-chp, etc). The main policy avenues will be identified partly through backcasting from the RCEP scenarios, as well as forecasting from the housing and domestic energy and carbon stock model. The project takes a broad, but thorough overview in order to identify the main issues for immediate action and more detailed analysis to enable faster progress towards the 40 % house.