New body formed to drive energy efficiency in buildings

 Dr David Strong, chairman of the new Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings

The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings has been set up to become the largest network of potential Green Deal providers, financiers, product and service suppliers in the UK.

It intends to become a hub of expertise to represent industry’s views on the practical implementation of Green Deal, ECO and wider energy efficiency opportunities in the UK, and has received the backing of a significant group of founding members, including npower, Strutt & Parker, Centrica, Kingfisher, Enact and Knauf Insulation.

It brings together more than 1,300 individuals from 760 organisations in voluntary cooperation across all parts of the energy efficiency supply chain.

It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Energy Foundation (NEF), which provides education and training, technical services, behavioural programs and community work to promote the uptake of energy efficiency measures and sustainable energy technologies.

The NEF is an independent educational charity based in Milton Keynes, and one of the longest established bodies of energy efficiency expertise in the UK.

The EEPB has already been asked by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to continue facilitating and coordinating the four Green Deal advisory forums.

These have the job of increasing the capacity of the Green Deal supply chain, setting up the installation, accreditation and qualification framework, promoting energy efficiency improvements across different building tenures, and developing a Green Deal advice framework for consumers.

The EEPB will also be helping to advise DECC on the implementation of the Government’s Microgeneration Strategy.

Dr David Strong, chairman of the EEPB, said: “The creation of the EEPB comes at a very significant time. Organisations across all parts of industry, all parts of the product and delivery sectors, and all parts of the private and public sector are seeking to collaborate and find answers to how we make the most of the new energy efficiency policies coming through from Government.”

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He said his priority was to look at "how we overcome market barriers and unlock opportunities from Green Deal and ECO, especially for SMEs".

He said they will be talking to all stakeholders to develop answers to these questions.

Michael Verity, Equity Partner at Strutt & Parker, said: "Most of the jigsaw pieces are available but putting them together is the major challenge."

Steven Heath, External Affairs Director for Knauf Insulation, said that the timing of its creation “has special relevance to the Green Deal," but said that their pursuit of answers will “no doubt throw up as many complexities in its delivery as in its conception. This is especially true of the nascent non-domestic sector".

However, he was optimistic. "The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings will be well placed to identify these complexities, offer solutions and act as a conduit for concerns between the energy efficiency supply chain and Government.”

For RWE npower David Titterton, Domestic & Obligations Director, said his company was "backing the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings because it provides access to a network of real value".

The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings will engage with all key Government departments involved in policy formulation and implementation, including:

• DECC which is responsible for energy and carbon policy, Green Deal, the Energy Company Obligation, microgeneration and fuel poverty (England)
• DCLG for building regulations, EPCs, planning and local authorities
• BIS for construction industry, skills and consumer protection
• Defra for product policy and standards
• in addition it will offer support to Treasury and the devolved Governments.