NICEIC and Elecsa's Technical Services Manager, Paul Collins, shares his thoughts on the Governments low carbon agenda.
Paul Collins | Technical Director
Blog
NICEIC and Elecsa's Technical Services Manager, Paul Collins, discusses The Governments 10-Point Plan and the opportunities it presents for contractors and the industry
As you will have no doubt have seen in the media, the Prime Minister has set out a ten-point plan for what is being described as a green industrial revolution.
Covering clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies, the government’s blueprint has been designed to eradicate our contribution to climate change by 2050, while also generating and supporting up to 250,000 green jobs.
Hugely ambitious plans, much of which hinges on a mass switch to electricity which is set to become a more prevalent source of energy in the powering transportation, the heating of our homes, and facilitating industry moving forward. This shift, which is crucial to our success in tackling climate change, will result in a rise in demand for electrical contractors whose scope of work may need to expand to meet demand.
While it is true Rome wasn't built in a day; this transition is picking up pace, a fact which is demonstrated by the Government’s move to accelerate the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. Under original plans, the target date for phasing out of these vehicle types was set at 2040, but under the new 10-point plan this has been fast-tracked by a decade, meaning by 2030 the predominant source of propulsion in transportation will be electricity.
Advancements such as this require significant investment and not shying away from this the government has pledged £583 million in grants to help incentivise the sale of electric vehicles and £1.3 billion to expedite the roll-out of the EV charging network.
It goes without saying our industry has a vital role to play here as competent electrical contractors will be called upon to install and maintain the charging network, it is, therefore, essential that contractors look to upskill in this area to ensure they maximise the opportunity. While EV's still represent a low percentage of the overall UK vehicle park, the numbers are increasing rapidly with official figures showing a +162% year on year increase in the sale of EV’s set against a decline of -55% for diesel and -39% for petrol powered vehicles.
EV's are not the only point of interest in the 10-point plan either; the government has renewed its commitment to making homes and public buildings greener through the extension of the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme which will now run until March 2022. The scheme, which provides consumers with access to grants to undertake environmentally friendly improvements to their homes, covers several renewable low-carbon technologies such as the installation of Air or Ground Source Heat Pumps, Biomass Boilers and Solar Thermal technology.
For more details on the scheme, check out our low-carbon-fix episodes five and six or visit the Green Homes Grant Scheme website for more information.
It is clear our industry is keenly positioned to be at the heart of this green revolution and that there are plentiful opportunities on the horizon. We must however not lose sight of our commitment to raising standards and delivering technical excellence, and this involves arming ourselves with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a broader range of services which will increasingly need to incorporate low-carbon technologies.
The 10-point plan is the clearest indication yet as to the path the low-carbon agenda will follow in the coming years, the areas of focus provide insight into how our industry will need to adapt to accommodate the necessary changes.
Please take the time to review the details it here.
On hand to help you every step of the way NICEIEC and ELECSA's Low-Carbon-Fix podcast delivers bite-sized updates designed to keep abreast of developments within this expanding space. Check out previous episodes today and keep yourself and your business on the front foot tomorrow.
As you will have no doubt have seen in the media, the Prime Minister has set out a ten-point plan for what is being described as a green industrial revolution.
Covering clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies, the government’s blueprint has been designed to eradicate our contribution to climate change by 2050, while also generating and supporting up to 250,000 green jobs.
Hugely ambitious plans, much of which hinges on a mass switch to electricity which is set to become a more prevalent source of energy in the powering transportation, the heating of our homes, and facilitating industry moving forward. This shift, which is crucial to our success in tackling climate change, will result in a rise in demand for electrical contractors whose scope of work may need to expand to meet demand.
While it is true Rome wasn't built in a day; this transition is picking up pace, a fact which is demonstrated by the Government’s move to accelerate the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. Under original plans, the target date for phasing out of these vehicle types was set at 2040, but under the new 10-point plan this has been fast-tracked by a decade, meaning by 2030 the predominant source of propulsion in transportation will be electricity.
Advancements such as this require significant investment and not shying away from this the government has pledged £583 million in grants to help incentivise the sale of electric vehicles and £1.3 billion to expedite the roll-out of the EV charging network.
It goes without saying our industry has a vital role to play here as competent electrical contractors will be called upon to install and maintain the charging network, it is, therefore, essential that contractors look to upskill in this area to ensure they maximise the opportunity. While EV's still represent a low percentage of the overall UK vehicle park, the numbers are increasing rapidly with official figures showing a +162% year on year increase in the sale of EV’s set against a decline of -55% for diesel and -39% for petrol powered vehicles.
EV's are not the only point of interest in the 10-point plan either; the government has renewed its commitment to making homes and public buildings greener through the extension of the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme which will now run until March 2022. The scheme, which provides consumers with access to grants to undertake environmentally friendly improvements to their homes, covers several renewable low-carbon technologies such as the installation of Air or Ground Source Heat Pumps, Biomass Boilers and Solar Thermal technology.
For more details on the scheme, check out our low-carbon-fix episodes five and six or visit the Green Homes Grant Scheme website for more information.
It is clear our industry is keenly positioned to be at the heart of this green revolution and that there are plentiful opportunities on the horizon. We must however not lose sight of our commitment to raising standards and delivering technical excellence, and this involves arming ourselves with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a broader range of services which will increasingly need to incorporate low-carbon technologies.
The 10-point plan is the clearest indication yet as to the path the low-carbon agenda will follow in the coming years, the areas of focus provide insight into how our industry will need to adapt to accommodate the necessary changes.
Please take the time to review the details it here.
On hand to help you every step of the way NICEIEC and ELECSA's Low-Carbon-Fix podcast delivers bite-sized updates designed to keep abreast of developments within this expanding space. Check out previous episodes today and keep yourself and your business on the front foot tomorrow.
-ENDS-
