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Weak Assembly energy policy doomed to fail

At the start of national Energy Efficiency Week [1], proposals to cut energy use in Wales have been slammed as weak and doomed to fail by a leading environmental organisation.

Reducing energy use is regarded as essential in addressing the problem of climate change. This is caused mainly by gases, such as carbon dioxide, that are emitted when fossil fuels are burnt to provide energy.

Responding to the Welsh Assembly Government's recent Energy Saving Wales plan and budget announcement, Friends of the Earth Cymru is claiming that the measures proposed are little more than a reiteration of standard energy saving advice that has over the years failed to reduce energy use.

In a letter to Assembly minister, Andrew Davies, the organisation slams the energy saving plan for providing far too little information on specific issues, such as energy use and the potential for energy and cost reductions in different sectors. The plan is also criticised for failing to set targets for energy reduction, timetables for delivery and mechanisms for measuring progress.

Gordon James, the Assembly campaigner for Friends of the Earth Cymru, said

"This document can hardly be called an energy saving plan. It is little more than a brief guide to the man and woman in the street.

"It compares very unfavourably with the UK Government's plan which sets specific targets for energy saving and greenhouse gas reductions and details the means by which these can be achieved. With the National Assembly's commitment to sustainable development one would have expected it to be ahead of the UK Government on a policy that has such clear environmental, economic and social benefits.

"The plan is also strangely at odds with the Assembly Government's commendable targets for renewable energy. Both energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes have to be vigorously pursued if we are to achieve adequate reductions in the emission of the gases that are causing climate change."

The announcement in the budget that there will be no increase in funding for the home energy efficiency scheme is also criticised.

Gordon James continued:

"While the promised increase in funding for the Carbon Trust is welcome, the failure to increase funding for home energy efficiency is extremely disappointing and is difficult to equate with a commitment to improving energy efficiency.

"The Welsh Assembly Government's energy saving plan is unlikely to reduce energy consumption in Wales let alone bring about the step change that the crises of climate change demands. We believe it is a discredit to a Government that has a World leading role in promoting sustainable development."

Friends of the Earth Cymru is writing to all Assembly Members urging them to do everything possible to ensure that the Welsh Assembly gives a high priority to implementing measures that will significantly reduce energy use and the emission of the gases that are causing climate change.

At the same time, Friends of the Earth Cymru is urging people to take the Climate Challenge which involves reducing their energy use by taking a series of fairly straightforward steps. These include switching to a supply of 'green' electricity from renewable sources, improving energy conservation in their home, using public transport more and the car less, supporting local renewable energy schemes and encouraging better energy use at work.
Climate Challenge

Notes

1. See www.est.org.uk/myhome. Consolidate communications on 020 7287 2027

October 22nd 2004

Andrew Davies AM
Minister for Economic Development and Transport
The Welsh Assembly Government
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff

Dear Andrew,

We are writing to express our disappointment with both the Welsh Assembly Government's energy efficiency policy, as stated in the 'Energy Saving Wales ' action plan that you launched on Tuesday, and the expenditure allocated to energy efficiency in the Assembly budget that was approved on Wednesday.

'Energy Saving Wales' is a weak document that is long on generalities and short on specifics. It says a great deal more about 'encouraging' action rather than about 'implementing' it and generally tries to off load responsibility onto others. It is, by and large, a reiteration of standard energy efficiency advice and information, illustrated with isolated case studies, that has been available for years and which has failed to reverse the growth in energy use. Domestic energy consumption in the UK, for instance, rose from 40.8 mtoe in 1990 to 47.9 mtoe in 2002.

'Energy Saving Wales' does not provide information on energy use by the different sectors in Wales nor of the potential saving, or the cost-effectiveness, of the different energy saving measures available to those sectors. It fails to set targets and timetables of delivery for proposed reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. This is strangely at odds with the Assembly Government's commendable targets for renewable energy in Wales.

The lack of detail and the absence of targets and mechanisms for assessing progress render the document almost worthless as an action plan. It is little more than a brief guide to the man or woman in the street. It compares very unfavourably with the UK Government's energy efficiency action plan produced by DEFRA. This contains far more detail and sets targets of saving 4.2 million tonnes of carbon in households, a 29% reduction in carbon emissions from central government buildings and a 5.8 million tonne reduction in the business sector by 2010. The policies that will be required to achieve these carbon reductions are detailed. It is surprising that a number of key elements of this programme, such as the Energy Efficiency Commitment, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, do not even warrant a mention in 'Energy Saving Wales'.

DEFRA's action plan also states (section 1.1.2) that the Sustainable Energy Act 2003 requires the National Assembly for Wales to designate an energy efficiency aim for residential accommodation. The UK Secretary of State has defined this aim as delivering savings of around 4.2 million tonnes of carbon by 2010. Does the Welsh Assembly Government propose to fulfil its obligations under the Sustainable Energy Act 2003 by setting itself a similar target?

One aspect of Energy Saving Wales that is to be welcomed is the establishment of an energy saving portal. Access to information is, of course, crucially important, particularly to those on low income and most likely to be suffering from fuel poverty. It is puzzling, therefore, that this information will be accessible only via the Internet and not by telephone. People on low incomes are the most likely to need free energy saving advice but are the least likely to have a computer in the house. Also, many elderly people, who are the most vulnerable to hypothermia, are unlikely to be computer literate. I notice that in the plenary debate on the issue you stated that you would be prepared to re-consider your position. We urge you to do so in order to ensure that the most vulnerable in society have access to this service. I would also like to point out that two of the agencies listed in the annex of 'Energy Saving Wales' as providing energy saving information, the Pembrokeshire Energy Agency and the Swansea Energy Agency, no longer exist.

Under the 'Public Sector/Communities' section of 'Energy Saving Wales', reference is made to implementing the energy efficiency commitments in the Welsh Assembly Government's Sustainable Development Action Plan. As welcome as these proposed actions are, they are unlikely to bring about overall reduction in energy use in these sectors. It is regrettable, for instance, that "the Assembly Government, its agencies and the NHS in Wales" will only "report annually on the use of energy in its estates" rather than set a target of cutting carbon emissions by 29% by 2011 as stated for the central Government estate in the DEFRA energy efficiency action plan. With the National Assembly's commitment to sustainable development, one would have expected it to be ahead of central Government on a policy that so clearly embodies the environmental (reduced greenhouse gas emissions), social (less fuel poverty and ill health) and economic (lower fuel bills and more jobs) benefits of sustainable development.

While your announcement in the plenary debate on Tuesday that you are increasing funding to the Carbon Trust by 56% to assist the business sector is welcome, the announcement in yesterday's budget statement that funding for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) would remain constant for the next three years is extremely disappointing and is difficult to equate with a commitment to improving energy efficiency in Wales.

'Energy Saving Wales', which changed so little as a result of the consultation process that one wonders whether it was a waste of time taking part, is unlikely to reduce energy consumption in Wales let alone bring about the step change that the crises of climate change demands. We believe it is a discredit to a Welsh Assembly Government that has taken an ambitious approach to achieving renewable energy targets and a world-leading role in accepting the principles of sustainable development.

We shall be writing to all AMs urging them to do everything possible to ensure that the Welsh Assembly gives a high priority to implementing measures that will significantly reduce energy use, and the emission of greenhouse gases, in all sectors.

Yours sincerely

Gordon James
Assembly Campaigner
Friends of the Earth Cymru