Memorandum submitted by the British Electrotechnical
Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA) (FP 46)
BEAMA
1. BEAMA represents over 350 companies
in the electrotechnical sector in the UK who employ over 137,000 people
and have a combined annual turnover of more than £13 billion.
Our members provide building and infrastructure technologies and
products that influence all generation efficiencies, electricity
use and system energy losses as well as related UK carbon emissions
and carbon abatement technologies.
2. BEAMA welcomes the opportunity to submit
evidence to the Energy and Climate Change Committee inquiry into
Fuel Poverty, and looks forward to further engaging with the Committee
on this Inquiry as it progresses. BEAMA is available to provide
supplementary oral and written evidence to the Committee.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3. A key means by which fuel poverty can
be alleviated is through improving home energy efficiency and
empowering consumers to better manage their energy usage.
4. Government and industry must work in
closer partnership in overcoming the lack of consumer awareness
about the energy saving products available on the marketplace
and the often simple steps that need to be taken to deliver efficiency
savings.
5. There are significant immediate opportunities
to help address fuel poverty through existing technologies.
6. Domestic heating controls offer the greatest
potential to reduce fuel poverty through increasing energy efficiency
in the home Simply fitting the correct heating controls can save
up to 23% of a home's heating bill.[139]
Given that heating and hot water account for 84% of an average
home's energy use, and 70% of its carbon emissions[140]
then these savings are significant, and will be even more pronounced
where an older, less efficient boiler is in place.
7. In the longer term, the rollout of smart
metering in the UK will give households greater potential to effectively
manage their energy usage. The meters will give consumers time-of-use
information regarding their energy usage which will empower them
to use it more effectively and efficiently thus reducing consumption.
THE ROLE
OF LOW
CARBON TECHNOLOGIES
IN ALLEVIATING
FUEL POVERTY
8. Effectively tackling fuel poverty in
the UK requires a holistic policy approach from Government. BEAMA
believes a key means by which fuel poverty can be alleviated is
through improving home energy efficiency and empowering consumers
to better manage their energy usage. As the trade association
representing manufacturers of electrotechnical equipment in the
UK, we can provide a unique perspective on the technologies with
greatest potential to improve home energy efficiency for the most
vulnerable UK consumers.
9. BEAMA believes that Government and industry
must work in closer partnership in overcoming the lack of consumer
awareness about the energy saving products available on the marketplace
and the often simple steps that need to be taken to deliver efficiency
savings.
10. There are significant immediate opportunities
to help address fuel poverty through existing technologies, two
of which—heating controls and smart metering—are outlined
below.
Heating Controls
11. We believe that domestic heating controls
offer the greatest potential to reduce fuel poverty through increasing
energy efficiency in the home. Heating controls optimise the operation
of energy using elements of a heating system (e.g. boilers and
pumps) and allow occupants to define the levels of thermal comfort
that they require. This means that sufficient heating and hot
water is provided for the least possible energy input, and the
least household expenditure on energy.
12. As a minimum for homes, BEAMA believes
that there should be controls to:
— Automatically turn off heating when not
required (Time Control);
— Automatically prevent the building getting
warmer than it needs to (Temperature Control);
— Avoid overheating rooms that are unoccupied
or need lower temperatures (Zone Control);
— Provide enough hot water at a suitable
temperature, and no more.
13. Homes that don't have one or more of
these control functions already installed will be able to make
cost-effective energy savings through the installation of additional
controls. Simply fitting the correct heating controls can save
up to 17-23% of a home's heating bill.[141]
Given that heating and hot water account for 84% of an average
home's energy use, and 70% of its carbon emissions[142]
then these savings are significant, and will be even more pronounced
where an older, less efficient boiler is in place. Furthermore,
heating controls allow the occupants to save more energy through
behavioural change measures.
14 The current Building Regulations require
that some controls are installed when, for example, a boiler is
replaced But waiting until all boilers are replaced, which on
current rates will take about 20 years, is missing the huge
opportunity for energy saving from upgrading controls on their
own:
— A controls upgrade is a low cost, cost-effective
measure.
— Controls will reduce carbon emissions
from older boilers in the years before they are replaced.
— Installed controls will reduce the cost
of the eventual boiler replacement, and may therefore bring forward
the decision on this replacement.
15. We estimate that over 80% of UK homes
do not reach the minimum levels of heating controls. The potential
market for upgrades of controls is valued at £3 billion
and potential carbon savings offered by heating controls are estimated
at 48 MtCO2, greater than the potential for loft insulation.
16. In Ireland the Home Energy Saving Scheme
offers householders up to €500 for a heating controls
upgrade and a similar scheme in the UK could reap significant
energy savings for the fuel poor.
Smart Metering
17. The Government roll-out schedule calls
for 48 million smart gas and electricity meters to be supplied
to 27 million homes in just over 10 years. In the longer
term, therefore, the rollout of smart metering in the UK will
give households greater potential to effectively manage their
energy usage. The meters will give consumers time-of-use information
regarding their energy usage which will empower them to use it
more effectively and efficiently thus reducing consumption.
February 2010
139 Source: Energy Saving Trust and calculations using
the EU Ecoboiler model developed for the Energy Using Products
Directive. Back
140
Policy Brief: Improving the energy performance of domestic heating
and hot water systems, Defra 2008. Back
141
Source: Energy Saving Trust and calculations using the EU Ecoboiler
model developed for the Energy Using Products Directive. Back
142
Policy Brief: Improving the energy performance of domestic heating
and hot water systems, Defra 2008. Back
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