Elevating our potential in a complex landscape

In the last year, UK political consensus around the need to achieve net zero by 2050 has been eroded. However, the new UK Government has made reducing energy bills and the transition to low-carbon energy its key priorities and so we remain hopeful of continued progress. 

Our position remains clear: a low carbon economy offers huge, wide-ranging benefits for all of us. We are committed to reaching net zero, and we continue to support the efforts of all four UK governments to cut emissions in line with this target.  

The transition to renewables isn’t only about protecting the planet, boosting jobs and growth and saving people money – it is also critical for UK energy security. By ending our over-reliance on fossil fuels and owning more of our own energy supply, we can protect our economy from price shocks we’ve experienced in the past. 

The new UK Government has set ambitious targets to keep us on the path to net zero. We have offered credible solutions based on our extensive and longstanding service delivery experience to help ministers deliver these plans at the pace and scale needed to achieve the UK’s climate goals. 

For example, in response to the Warm Homes Plan which aims to upgrade five million homes with support for features including low carbon heating, we have identified five key areas for action needed to make the plan a success.  

Similarly, we have delivered a robust response to the Local Power Plan, which pledges to deliver 8GW of local and community-owned power.

Based on our experience of supporting community energy projects in Scotland and Wales, and allocating £114m in grants and loans for 336 community energy projects last year, we have identified six essential outcomes that will better enable the delivery of the energy promised in the plan to ensure tangible benefits for communities across the country.  

As the leading experts in UK energy efficiency, we support households, businesses, local and central government and communities to cut their carbon emissions. Collaboration across industry is key to our mission, and we are elevating our potential in a competitive market by offering cutting edge digital products and unrivalled advice services. 

Last year, we revamped our solar panel calculator to give even more accurate estimates of how much people could save with solar power. At the same time, we’re continually evolving our flagship digital products including Homewise and our Home Energy Efficiency Tool to support powerful public and private sector partnerships. 

Despite the challenges, I am immensely proud of the impact our work is having at scale in homes, businesses, communities and transport. From identifying £8.9 million in energy saving opportunities for businesses with Business Energy Scotland to generating an estimated £3,831,064  lifetime saving on energy bills for low-income, potentially fuel-poor households through Home Energy Scotland. Not to mention what we’ve achieved internally by cutting our scope one and two emissions by 82%. 

Looking ahead this year, I am excited to see how we can help more people cut their energy use. We will of course continue to advocate for a national advice service for England, to make free energy saving advice available to everyone. 

Whilst we are operating in an increasingly complex environment, our work to accelerate the transition to net zero is needed more than ever.