Later today, the Cardiff City Region Cabinet will be updated on energy efficiency projects in the region (pdf).
“Carbon neutrality” is one of the main goals of the city region and to meet various climate change targets, emissions from energy will need to be more than halved across the region by 2035.
To do this, more than 280,000 homes across the southeast need energy efficiency improvements to take them to the rating of A-C on the energy performance certificate (EPC) system. In practical terms means heat pumps, external and internal insulation (sound familiar?) and phasing out domestic gas.
Most of the expected investment will come from energy companies under two schemes: ECO and ECO Flex.
“ECO” may ring a few bells with some of you. Earlier phases of it were involved in the Caerau Arbed/insulation scandal. The energy companies involved have so far refused to accept responsibility for their role.
Eligible households under ECO include pensioners receiving energy rebates, social tenants living in homes ranked D or lower on the EPC and householders in receipt of certain benefits.
The ECO scheme is managed by energy companies alone with no government or council involvement, but the ECO Flex programme does have council involvement. This ECO Flex programme is what the city region are focusing on.
What does the city region intend to do?
Usually, individual local authorities set the criteria for households to receive energy efficiency work under ECO Flex. ECO Flex is aimed at low-income households that just miss out on the eligibility criteria for ECO.
The city region proposes a single overall policy/statement of intent – working with energy companies – covering all of the 10 member local authorities. Each council would then decide which houses would be eligible to take part and where. It’s hoped it will be in place by April 2022.
This is why sorting out the Caerau scandal matters. Some may think what happened there is an isolated case but it isn’t. My recent posts on it have had a big audience across southern Wales and beyond.
It’s not hard to imagine householders who would be eligible to take part in this turning around and saying, “You messed it up in Caerau and didn’t fix it. I don’t want that to happen to my home.”
