In the words of the Government itself ... "A stellar team of leading experts has today been announced as the members of a new dedicated taskforce charged with improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s homes and buildings and with it, cutting the country’s energy use."

SWIGA announced the formation of this new initiative a few weeks ago, at which stage only the co-chairs, Lord Callanan and Alison Rose DBE, had been confirmed. We are now able to confirm the make up of the rest of the team.

The new Energy Efficiency Taskforce has a clear target to support cutting energy use in the UK down by 15 per cent by 2030, from 2021 levels.

The membership of this group includes Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission Sir John Armitt, head of leading housebuilder Barratt Developments, David Thomas and leading experts from the University of Salford, the UK Green Building Council and National Energy Action. The full ist of all participants is as follows:

Co-Chairs:

 

• Lord Callanan, Minister for Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
• Alison Rose DBE, Group Chief Executive Officer, NatWest Group

Additional Steering Group members:

• David Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Barratt Developments
• David Halpern, Chief Executive Officer, Behavioural Insights Team
• Graham Bell, Chief Executive Officer, B&Q
• Mitesh Dhanak, Chief Executive Officer, Cenergist
• Laura Sandys, Chair, Government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce
• Professor Will Swan, Director, Energy House Laboratories at University of Salford
• Emma Pinchbeck, Chief Executive Officer, Energy UK
• Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Green Finance Institute
• Michael Liebreich, Chairman and CEO, Liebreich Associates
• Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make UK
• Adam Scorer, Chief Executive Officer, National Energy Action
• Sir John Armitt, Chair, National Infrastructure Commission
• Carl Ennis, Chief Executive, Siemens plc
• David Postings, Chief Executive Officer, UK Finance
• Simon McWhirter, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, UK Green Building Council

The structure is designed to bring together a vast wealth of knowledge and unique experiences in order to deliver on the government’s ambitious commitments, which in turn will help grow the economy, create new jobs and cut bills for people across the country.

Objectives

The Energy Efficiency Taskforce will have a particular focus on the role of the private sector and the stimulation of investment. Its priority areas of focus will include:

• stimulating the supply chain to address and increase investment, reduce skills gaps, accelerate pathways to accreditation, improve product manufacturing capability, and increase the wider availability of materials required to deliver high quality upgrades at pace
• identifying barriers and opportunities in existing market and regulatory frameworks to delivering the demand reduction ambition in a way that works for business, consumers and society in order to inform policy decisions
• increasing consumer, public sector, and business engagement in the delivery of existing and new initiatives on energy efficiency and clean heat; this may include addressing the lack of consumer take-up or behavioural change and high attrition rates
• working with the private sector to increase the availability of green finance linked to installation standards and quality
• tackling different installation challenges and embedding the need for standards across differently funded markets (considering recent tragedies highlighting the risks in domestic settings)
• working with Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to gather, monitor and respond to data that shows progress towards the 15% demand reduction target

The Taskforce will devise a workplan to help reduce total UK energy demand by 15% from 2021 levels by 2030 across domestic and commercial buildings and industrial process - while cutting bills and helping push down inflation. This will include accelerating household insulation and boiler upgrades. As the work of the Taskforce progresses, it will also look at ways of drawing on the expertise of a wider group of stakeholders. The initial meeting of the Taskforce will review these objectives and determine key priority areas of focus which will form a workplan.

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said:

"We have scoured the UK’s industry to amass a top team of the best and brightest, and I am excited to learn from the unique expertise that each member brings to the table.

We firmly believe the will of people and industry to drive down energy use is there, but we need to put in place the right mechanisms to channel this. That means smart investment, effective engagement, and building the right skills base - and this is precisely what the Taskforce will be focussing on."

Alison Rose, Energy Efficiency Taskforce co-chair and Chief Executive Officer of NatWest Group, said:

"I am delighted to welcome experts from across industry, academia and government to the Energy Efficiency Taskforce. Addressing the climate crisis is a team sport, and building vital partnerships between the public and private sector is key to tackling this challenge. The Taskforce is bringing together a breadth of experience and expertise from a range of sectors and we will work together to deliver concrete proposals that help support the ambition of reducing total UK energy demand from 2021 levels by 15% by 2030.

Our focus on reducing energy use across homes, commercial buildings and industrial processes is important not only for cutting carbon emissions but also for delivering greater energy security and lower bills for people, families and businesses up and down the UK."

The Taskforce will devise a workplan to help reduce total UK energy demand by 15% from 2021 levels by 2030 across domestic and commercial buildings and industrial process - while cutting bills and helping push down inflation. This will include accelerating household insulation and boiler upgrades. As the work of the Taskforce progresses, it will also look at ways of drawing on the expertise of a wider group of stakeholders. SWIGA will fully support as and when appropriate.