Get Sust! Issue 31

HECA — a waste of energy?

Time to have your say on HECA, the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995, which requires local authorities with housing responsibilities to develop plans to deliver improvements in housing energy efficiency.

Defra has reviewed the performance of HECA and issued a consultation document which says that, in the period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2006, LAs reported an overall improvement in household/residential energy efficiency of approximately 19%. However, analysis has found little evidence that HECA is directly responsible for driving these improvements, although stakeholders agree that it has contributed to raising the profile of energy efficiency.

Another finding of the review is that claimed energy efficiency savings may not be accurate, because there is no standard reporting methodology and no auditing of the data. This means that, while some LAs appear to have achieved success, others appear to be lagging behind.

In view of these issues, Defra is suggesting four options:

leave HECA to operate unchanged
remove the reporting requirement from HECA
introduction of a new standard methodology based on the average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP ratings)
repeal HECA - the government’s preferred option.

Learn more:

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To view the details, or join the consultation, visit www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/heca/index.htm. The closing date for comments is 3 January 2008.