Lord Best, President of Sustainable Energy Association
Lord Best, President of the Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) welcomed guests and stressed that climate change is a real issue requiring action on an international scale to mitigate. He highlighted that current building standards pose risks to the UK’s climate change targets and that the review of building regulations in 2019 represents a good opportunity to ‘tighten up CO2 emissions from homes of the future’. Lord Best expressed his personal affinity for some of the proposals in the upcoming SEA report which outlines potential policy pathways to halve energy use in buildings by 2030. He also highlighted that Claire Perry had increased the landlord cap to £3,500 within the MEES regulations following input from the SEA and meetings which he and Lesley Rudd attended with the Minister. He stated that his Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill is near completion and that Sir David Amess’ Private Members Bill to increase all properties to EPC Band C by 2035, which is supported by the SEA, is progressing well. Lord Best thanked the SEA’s Parliamentary Officer Ron Bailey for his ‘champion’ campaigning efforts within the energy sector.
Rebecca Pow MP
Rebecca Pow explained how the innovation exhibition organised by the SEA in March this year and at which Minister Claire Perry spoke, ignited her interest and led to the development of her Energy Consumption (Innovative Technologies) 10 -minute rule Bill. The Bill calls for a public consultation on new technologies to enable companies to illustrate how their inventions can help achieve energy policy objectives, stimulating further investment and even greater innovations. Some SEA member’s technologies were described by Rebecca, and she explained that she is optimistic that Claire Perry will support the Bill. Rebecca stressed the benefits of greener energy technology (such as that being developed by SEA members) both in reducing fuel bills and in improving the environment.
Lesley Rudd, Chief Executive of Sustainable Energy Association
Lesley Rudd, Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Association, highlighted what a momentous year 2018 had been; the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, and Representation of the People Act, which extended the right to vote, the 10th Anniversary of the Climate Change Act which enshrined climate change targets in law and has helped to maintain a remarkable cross-party consensus, with five carbon budgets being approved by Parliament. She noted that publication of the IPCC Report and the COP24 Conference have highlighted the challenge of climate change and the need to act now before it is too late. Lesley looked forward to the enormous challenges of 2019 and stressed the need to “work together, people of all nations, parliamentarians of all parties, industry, and member associations like the SEA, to tackle the huge challenge that humanity faces and let us use the freedom we have to vote and to speak out to hold our politicians to account and ensure that the legacy we leave is one we can be proud of.”