TUC – government net-zero strategy “a huge let down”

• At this rate it would take more than 170 years to insulate all the UK’s homes, TUC warns

Commenting on the net-zero strategy published by the government today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“The UK can be a world leader in creating good, green jobs. But this strategy is a huge let down.

“The government has failed to implement many of the main recommendations of its own green jobs taskforce - just two weeks before it hosts the UN climate change conference.

“That’s not the way to show global leadership - it’s self-sabotage.

“Today’s spending commitments will do little to address the yawning investment gap needed to get British industry ready for net-zero.  

“Unless ministers do more to future-proof and decarbonise energy-intensive industries, hundreds of thousands of jobs in UK manufacturing and supply chains will be in jeopardy.

“We cannot let that happen.”

Commenting on the government’s heat and buildings strategy, Frances added:

“Every UK home should be warm in winter, and cool in summer, without costing a packet or harming the planet. An ambitious investment to decarbonise our homes must future-proof jobs and provide a sustainable future for gas workers.

“The new strategy takes some steps in the right direction. But only £1.75 billion has been allocated for retrofitting homes from now until 2025. At this rate, it would take more than 170 years to insulate all the UK’s homes.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

-Last month the TUC published analysis which showed that up to 660,000 jobs could be at risk if the UK fails to transition to net zero as fast as other nations.

-The union body says the UK is investing far less on green technology, infrastructure and transport that most other G7 nations.

-The TUC is calling on the government to action the recommendations of the Green Jobs Taskforce in full, and for an £85 billion green recovery package to create 1.24 million green jobs.

-Methodology on time taken to insulate all of the homes in the UK:

• The Heat & Buildings Strategy allocates £1.75 billion towards retrofitting homes from 2022-2025: £950 million for the Home Upgrade Grant scheme and £800 million for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
• The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator retrofitted 2,300 homes with £62 million - equivalent to £27,000 per home. Parity Projects analysis for London Councils estimates the cost to retrofit the average home to EPC B as £13,000 and to net zero as £25,900.
• We assume that government will need to contribute an average total of £5,000 towards retrofitting each home, to reach the UK's net zero targets. Actual per home costs from the Home Upgrade Grant scheme and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund scheme will be higher.
•  At best, the £1.75 billion would therefore deliver 350,000 retrofits.
• Spread over three years, this is 117,000 homes retrofitted per year.
• There are 29 million homes in the UK. We have assumed the government only needs to reach 20 million homes.
• At a rate of 117,000 homes per year, it would take 171 years to reach 20 million homes.