'At our current pace, we haven't got a hope': E.ON boss warns UK is off track to meet net zero target

The chief executive of the UK's biggest electricity provider has warned the UK will fail to reach its mid-century net zero ambition if detailed policies and stricter regulations are not introduced to kickstart the decarbonisation of the UK's buildings and businesses.

In a white paper published this morning, E.ON has warned Ministers they need to take far more radical action to slash the emissions generated by the UK's offices, homes, and cities, stressing that steps taken over the coming decade will determine whether or not the UK can meet its long term climate goals.

The report, entitled The Carbon Countdown: Road to 2030, outlines 10 short-term actions the government could take to put the UK on track to meeting its climate goals, ranging from developing a detailed net zero road map through to 2050, accelerating the roll out of low carbon district heating networks, implementing stronger building standards to ensure all properties are built to zero carbon standards, and setting a date for banning the sale of fossil fuel boilers.

E.ON CEO Michael Lewis emphasised that the government needed to step up the pace of climate policy development if it was to realise the vision set out in the Prime Minister's 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and secure any ensuing economic benefits. "We must not forget this is a marathon, a 30-year ambition," he said. "We don't have to do it all immediately, but we do have to get moving now."

"If you ask people whether they want a cleaner, more sustainable future, the answer will invariably be yes," he added. "In that regard we are, as a nation, together in a shared purpose. What most people don't know is, at our current pace, we haven't got a hope unless government catalyses faster tangible change."

The report also calls for the government to launch a "high profile communications campaign" that encourages households to decarbonise their homes and activities, to take action to simplify schemes that help the most in-need households deliver green retrofits to their homes, and boost confidence in the green improvements market by clamping down on rogue traders and low-quality suppliers.

Introducing 'building renovation passports' to guide home owners' decarbonisation efforts over the next 10 to 15 years would also help galvanise the public behind the need to decarbonise the buildings they own, according to E.ON.

When it comes to encouraging businesses to decarbonise their buildings, the report calls for an energy efficiency scheme that incentivises small business to take action and for the government to design an "more sustainable" carbon leakage protection framework which levels the international playing field and prompts bigger businesses to make changes.

"The decisions we take, the investments we make, and the path we follow in the next ten years will decide whether we are on the right road to meet the [net zero by 2050] goal," said Lewis. "Net zero by 2050 is achievable. With the right investment climate, business will positively respond and bequeath a more sustainable future to our children that will secure long-term economic benefits for the country as we increasingly benefit from home grown energy production."

The report comes as pressure mounts on the government to launch an ambitious policy package to support the decarbonisation of UK's housing stock, particularly in the wake of its much-criticised decision to axe the Green Homes Grant scheme in the spring. There are hopes the much-delayed Buildings and Heat Strategy, which is expected over the coming weeks, will include a string of policies that can catalyse the decarbonisation of the UK's 29 million homes. 

E.ON's report comes just a day after the CBI similarly warned the government needed to deliver a wave of long-awaited policy measures if it wanted to unlock sufficient levels of private sector investment in support of the net zero transition.