Businesses are concerned current UK energy regulations will not raise the investment needed to ensure the country’s low carbon future, and are calling on the government to simplify or scrap some existing legislation to ensure targets can be met.
These are the findings of a consultation by npower among business energy users, which found that one in three do not believe legislation such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC), Climate Change Levy (CCL) and Climate Change Agreements (CCAs), the Renewables Obligation and Feed In Tariffs will help ensure the £200bn investment needed for the UK’s energy infrastructure is achieved.
The results of npower’s consultation, which is still ongoing, will be fed back to government as part of its Red Tape Challenge initiative. The government consultation on the energy sector formally opens on 25th November.
npower asked businesses which energy legislation they would keep, see simplified or scrapped completely.
The CRC received most attention, with over two thirds of businesses wanting to see the scheme simplified and more than half believing it should be scrapped. Over a third would like to see it merged with existing regulation.
Wayne Mitchell, interim industrial and commercial markets director at npower, said: “We urge the business community to make sure their voices are heard. This is a unique opportunity on an unprecedented scale to have a say on energy legislation – and our own consultation reveals a mixed bag of views.
“However, one thing is clear – businesses want simplification not only to help them manage their own obligations, but to also help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets and help raise the investment needed for low carbon generation. There is still time to have your say.”
