CAS responded to the UK Parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee energy efficiency inquiry.
CAS has published three research reports relevant to this consultation –Warming Scotland Up to
Energy Efficiency: Putting Consumers First (2017), Bad Company: finding solutions for people ripped off by HELMS (2018) and Taking the Temperature: A review of energy efficiency and fuel poverty schemes in Scotland (2016).
Key learnings:
- Energy efficiency policy must be designed around people. To secure consumer buy-in, substantial efforts to lead and transform public opinion on the benefits of energy efficiency must be made.
- Attractive incentives need to be in place to promote energy efficiency in the owner occupier sector. A prompt Council Tax rebate was the most popular and motivating of the incentive options considered by our research participants
- Strong consumer protections must be in place for those installing energy efficiency measures, particularly routes to redress.
Overall, the success of the UK Government’s approach to energy efficiency depends on getting the foundations right: public acceptance and support for the objectives; consumer confidence and trust; making the installation of energy efficiency measures as easy as possible for consumers; providing the strongest possible protections for consumers; and putting in place robust redress procedures.