An energy efficiency expert has called for the reform of energy performance certificates (EPCs) to foster a change in attitude among the public.
Director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy Andrew Warren wrote recently on website ClickGreen.org.uk that the certificates should become more visible rather than forming part of the small print when consumers purchase new homes.
"Rather than tucked away in the small print of a property transaction, the rating should be boldly displayed in every piece of promotional literature concerning the building in question," Mr Warren commented.
Additionally, the certificates must ensure that consumers are confident that the energy performance shown will be the same regardless of who supplies the energy, he suggested.
Thirdly, Mr Warren states that the EPC needs to motivate Britons to want to upgrade their properties to enhance
energy efficiency.
"Without getting these three criteria right, the net effect is a mass communications tool which is communicating an unacceptable message: that UK buildings cannot be sensibly refurbished to a standard consistent with the legal requirements of climate change policy," the expert concluded.
It recently emerged that European energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs is considering implementing mandatory energy efficiency targets within the European Union.
