NEWS | DIGEST Ofgem warns of soaring bills The Ofgem chief executive has admitted that increases in household energy bills this winter will be much greater than he predicted only weeks ago. In late May, Jonathan Brearley told the House of Commons business, energy and industrial strategy committee that the energy price cap was likely to increase to 2,800 when it is reviewed in October. However, giving evidence to the environmental audit committee on 12 July, he said it is clear that this estimate will be too low. Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight recently forecast the cap will rise to 3,244 per year, a 1,200 increase compared with now. Shells CEO, Ben van Beurden, has also warned that energy may need to be rationed across Europe. His comments, at energy consultancy Auroras conference in Oxford in July, followed a spike in gas prices after Russia closed its Nord Stream pipeline which supplies Germany for maintenance work. Governments stunning fail on decarbonising buildings Climate Change Committee delivers damning report on emissions strategy A shocking gap exists on energy efficiency policy, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has told the government. In its latest annual report to parliament, the statutory climate adviser has identified energy efficiency as a particular area of weakness in the governments strategy to cut emissions. Most critically, the report expresses concern that the government has no policies for improving the energy efficiency of non-fuelpoor, owner-occupier households. Rates of improvement in energy efficiency continue to be well below the necessary level, it says. The governments recently published Energy Security Strategy also failed to offer any solutions for reducing demand for energy. In addition, the CCC says more detailed plans need to be finalised on the rollout of low carbon heating. It warns that the governments reliance on stimulating the market for heat pumps by setting boiler manufacturers mandatory targets to sell a progressively rising number of the devices is an untested approach. If market participants do not respond to incentives as expected, low carbon heat rollout will not take off, the CCC says, adding that the government should develop contingency plans in case this approach doesnt deliver as ministers anticipate. The report adds that much now rests on the promised energy advice service, due to be launched this summer, to reach millions of households requiring efficiency upgrades. The CCCs chief executive Chris Stark said the governments approach to decarbonising buildings deserved to be marked as a stunning fail. There are no policies for improving the efficiency of non-fuel-poor, owner-occupied houses WEBINAR NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND Water Source Heat Pumps and Ultra Low Heat Networks for the Multi-Residential Sector Brought to you by: WATCH NOW: bit.ly/CIBSEMitsubishi 10 August 2022 www.cibsejournal.com SCAN ME Scotland could make Passivhaus mandatory All new homes in Scotland would have to meet the ultra-low emissions Passivhaus standard under draft legislation that has been brought forward in the countrys parliament. Alex Rowley, Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Mid Scotland and Fife Region, has submitted the Domestic Building Environmental Standards (Scotland) Bill. It would mandate a Passivhaus standard or a Scottish equivalent for all new-build housing in Scotland, and includes a process to ensure design specifications agreed in the planning permission stage are verified as delivered. The aim is to ensure there is no performance gap between the design of the building and the energy efficiency and thermal performance when it is completed. Rowley said proposals for new building regulations in the Scottish governments Building a net zero future strategy that aim to cut new-build emissions by nearly a third, do not go far enough, and contain no measures to close the performance gap. The bill was out for consultation until 27 July 2022.