Committee on Climate Change

There are a wide range of policies supporting carbon emission reductions in the commercial and public sector:

Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)

The CRC is a trading scheme for large non-energy intensive companies (e.g. supermarket chains) and public sector buildings (e.g. universities, hospitals) whose annual half-hourly metered electricity use in the UK is above 6,000 MWh. The scheme started in April 2010, and the original intention was to introduce binding caps from 2013.  

In September 2010, the Committee published its advice to Government on the appropriate level of the second phase cap (2013-18) and other aspects of the CRC.  Government is now proposing to extend the introductory phase by a further year until March 2014 in order to have time to review elements of the scheme in 2011.   

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)

EPCs are required at the point of sale or rent of existing commercial and public properties and for new builds. The certificate provides information on the efficiency of a building and ways to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. However, there is a high level of non-compliance, with the majority of commercial buildings up for sale or re-let not having an EPC. Proposed mandating that property advertisements carry the EPC rating will help to address this, but stricter enforcement by local trading standards or alternative compliance mechanisms should also be considered to ensure that existing and any future legislation is implemented.

Display Energy Certificates (DECs)

Show the actual energy use of the building and associated CO₂ emissions over a 12 month period. Mandatory for all public buildings with a floor space over 1,000 square meters.

DCLG has consulted on extending DECs to cover commercial buildings, initially those with a floor space of 1,000m2 and over, which is expected to cover 30,000 buildings. The eventual target is to include all commercial buildings of over 250m². DCLG is exploring how this proposal can be taken forward as part of the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Recast, while working with industry to promote a voluntary approach.

Building Regulations

The regulations (Part L2A and L2B) deal with energy efficiency requirements for new and existing non-residential buildings in England and Wales.

Zero-Carbon Buildings

Government ambition is that all new non-domestic buildings should be zero carbon from 2019, with earlier dates for schools (2016) and other public sector buildings (2018).

Central Government Estate

The central government estate has established a target to reduce emissions in central government offices by 30% in 2020 relative to 1999 / 2000. In addition, 19 central government departments have a target to reduce its carbon emissions by 10% within 12 months from May 2010.

Under the Departmental Carbon Budget Reduction Delivery Plans (CRPDs), all major central government departments have been given responsibility for reducing their share of emissions in the total carbon budget. This covers emissions from their own estates and operations, as well as emissions from relevant public sector bodies.

Green Deal

Scheduled to be made available in 2012, the Green Deal is expected to reduce the costs of energy efficiency improvements for businesses by spreading the upfront costs of the investment over time though the energy bill, by attaching it to the property.

Devolved administrations

The devolved administrations, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have made various commitments and have supporting programmes to improve energy efficiency (see chapter five).