As we enter the final run up to the 2024 general election and with all manifestos now published, in this article SWIGA look at what the main three political parties are pledging - specifically in relation to home decarbonisation and retrofit and hence what the result could mean for our own industry.
 

Conservative Party Manifesto

Under the Conservatives it looks like we can expect more of the same in terms of funding levels. They remain committed to energy efficiency and the drive to net zero by 2050 and their manifesto confirmed that they are pledging a total investment of around £6bn in energy efficiency over the next three years with the aim of improving the energy efficiency and reducing heating costs in around a million homes.
 

Our plan for an affordable and pragmatic transition to net zero
Almost half of homes in England are now energy efficiency Band C, up from just one in seven in 2010. We will invest £6 billion in energy efficiency over the next three years to make around a
million homes warmer. And we will fund an energy efficiency voucher scheme, open to every household in England, to support the installation of energy efficiency measures and solar panels. helping families lower their bills.

Included within this £6 billion figure is the £1.2bn of the previously announced Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 3 – SHDF Wave 3 draft guidance was published as recently as 13th May.

There’s no specific mention of ECO or the other current retrofit schemes so it’s not clear if these will continue in their current forms and if they will be scrapped in favour of this new “energy efficiency voucher scheme”.
 

Labour Party Manifesto

Under the heading “warmer homes to slash fuel poverty”, the Labour manifesto takes Tory investment levels and ups the numbers even more!

Their “Warm Homes Plan”
 

The energy shock of recent years has highlighted the urgent importance of improving energy efficiency in British homes. Labour will invest an extra £6.6 billion over the next parliament, doubling the existing planned government investment, to upgrade five million homes to cut bills for families.
The Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in  insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating to cut bills. We will partner with combined authorities, local and devolved governments, to roll out this plan. Labour will also work with the private sector, including banks and building societies, to provide further private finance to accelerate home upgrades and low carbon heating. We will ensure homes in the private rented sector meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030, saving renters hundreds of pounds per year. Nobody will be forced to rip out their boiler as a result of our plans.
Labour will save families hundreds of pounds, slash fuel poverty, and get Britain back on track to meet our climate targets. Our plan will mean good skilled jobs for tradespeople in every part of the country.

When questioned it was confirmed that the “extra £6.6 billion” was on top of the current £6 billion+ committed by the current Government – so Labour are proposing to double the investment in retrofitting homes and rolling out clean heat and supporting their focus on “accelerating to net-zero”.
 

Liberal Democrat Party Manifesto

The Liberal Democrats manifesto also focusses on net zero:

Climate change is an existential threat. Soaring temperatures leading to wildfires, floods, droughts and rising sea levels are affecting millions of people directly, and billions more through falling food production and rising prices. Urgent action is needed – in the UK and around the world – to achieve net zero and avert catastrophe.

They pledge to:
 

“Make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes, and ensure that all new homes are zero-carbon.”

The manifestio also promises  to:
 

“Appoint a Chief Secretary for Sustainability in the Treasury to ensure that the economy is sustainable, resource-efficient and zero-carbon, establish a new Net Zero Delivery Authority to coordinate action across government departments and work with devolved administrations, and hand more powers and resources to local councils for local net zero strategies.”

Summary

Obviously “other parties doe exist” but what is clear and positive is that all three of main political parties in the UK remain committed to the drive to net zero and in the rollout of home decarbonisation.

Our industry look forward to working collaboratively with the next Government, whoever it may be, to help shape and deliver on these commitments.