Energy efficiency is serious, but in the United Kingdom it’s really serious. The archipelago was hit particularly hard by the energy crisis of 2022-23, and electric prices have remained stubbornly high. As it stands today, for most Brits, the electric bill is the most expensive utility, far more expensive than cell service (America's most expensive utility bill).
So it should come as no surprise that brits are more interested than their Yankee counterparts in saving on electricity. It’s not about saving the planet, it’s about whether you go on Summer holiday to Greece or Brighton—no offense to the lovely people of Brighton.
For many Brits, however, cutting down on electricity is complicated by their old homes. The problem of old homes has drawn the attention of the government, which recently released a new review of retrofitting old homes. That’s the topic of a recent blog post by Savills, a big UK real estate agency. Here are some excerpts I found interesting:
“In determining planning applications, the new NPPF paragraph requires that the decision maker, ordinarily the local planning authority (LPA), must give ‘significant weight’ to energy efficiency measures (including those made to designated heritage assets) and this should be applied in conjunction with the ‘great weight’ attributed to the conservation of heritage assets later on in the NPPF. The new paragraph now directs decision makers to show that the need for improved energy efficiency and low carbon heating has been factored into the planning balance. It is a welcome move in the right direction.”
“Many LPAs are under-resourced so do not have the capacity to produce Local LBCOs. The enhancement of National LBCOs would likely reduce the burden on LPAs and make it easier for owners and occupiers to improve the energy efficiency of listed buildings. However, the enhancement of National LBCOs may be resisted by LPAs and conservation groups who will fear that a poorly worded order might allow harm to the unique characteristics of local architecture and potentially conflict with existing local planning policy or statutory duties. LPAs may also fear that blanket consents might remove one check on poorly designed interventions.”