CBI pressing for green incentives
The CBI is calling for better incentives to encourage investment in low energy buildings.
Emma Wild, the CBI's principal policy adviser on climate change, told a meeting last week that UK businesses were wasting £8.5bn worth of energy every year. This drain on precious funds during a recession had turned energy efficiency into a clear business priority, she said.
The CBI has produced a low carbon buildings roadmap that would cut carbon emissions from buildings by 43 million tonnes by 2020 as well as dramatically reducing running costs.
“Energy costs are clearly a big driver for businesses, but employees are also applying pressure because they expect to work in ‘green’ places,” said Wild. “Regulations are also driving change."
She said the CBI wanted the Government to introduce Display Energy Certificates for ALL buildings as the organisation believes these are effective incentives for investment in low energy measures. However, she said the Energy Performance Certificate system needed “tweaking” to improve their effectiveness.
Green business tax rates are another key step on the CBI’s low carbon building roadmap. It believes businesses should be rewarded with tax incentives if they occupy A rated buildings.
The Carbon Reduction Commitment will also have a big influence on developers as investors are now far more interested in ‘green buildings’ as they don’t want to buy something that will quickly become obsolete, the meeting heard.
"This is not just about energy efficiency," added Wild. "Low carbon power generation is also a big issue for property owners.
“There is clearly a competitive advantage to be gained from having a low energy building,” she said. “However, the recession has held green development back and we need to find ways of getting the funding moving again.”