If I was the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change… (part 3!)

Well the day of the General Election is finally upon us – I sincerely hope you’ve voted! – and so it’s my turn to share my mini manifesto for if I was Secretary of State for DECC.  As many of you will know I’m rather fond of lists and so, not wanting to disappoint, here’s my top 10 policy promises…

1. Firstly – and perhaps controversially – I’d make energy more expensive: this is the only way to get people en masse to use less energy.  I’d introduce a high tax on fossil fuels, coupled with zero tax on renewables and energy efficiency, making payback times quicker and investment decisions easier.  It will be painful and people will complain, but they’ll thank me for it in the long run.

2. Secondly – and linked to the first – I would provide free, 100% energy make-overs to anyone who is deemed to be in fuel poverty, paid for by my energy tax.  The criteria getting this work done would be loose - our evaluation for DECC’s Local Authority funding in 2013 showed that people working on the ground KNOW who’s in need but they often miss out because of the hoops they have to jump through.  This policy would bypass all that – meaning that anyone in need would benefit.  I’d also insist that anyone participating also switched to green energy, meaning they’d avoid the energy tax and keep their remaining energy bills as low as possible.  The policy would eradicate fuel poverty once and for all, and see the retrofitting of thousands of existing homes at the same time.

3. I also think we need to change the way we think about our energy.  Gas and electricity mean nothing to people – they are produced in faraway power stations that have no impact on us and we have no commitment to.  Instead, we need to think in terms of heat and power – of the services they provide us and how we use them in our homes and businesses.  For this to work, there also needs to be a shift towards ESCOs – something that up to now has been tried but never really taken hold in the domestic sector – but with the right policy levers I think the time is now right.

4. In terms of delivery, I would reintroduce targets for local authorities to tackle climate change in their own estate but also in the buildings in their local areas – both domestic and non-domestic – as well as through other sectors such as transport.  Of late, we’ve increasingly heard at meetings we’ve attended that this is something LAs would welcome - backed up by sufficient cash.  Meaningful targets (with penalties for missing them) would focus the minds of local politicians and put sustainability back on the local political agenda.  Bring back NI 185 and 186! (For other views from the LA sector, check out John Kolm-Murray’s mini manifesto from earlier this week).

5. I would set an obligation on DNOs – similar to the Supplier Obligation – to bring forward the development of the smart grid and also to explore and instigate additional system efficiencies.  Our recent research for Citizens Advice shows that there is still much to be done to make sure everyone benefits.

6. I have a strong belief that in-home displays must be installed alongside smart meters. To not do so – or to install in-home displays with only limited functionality – would be such a wasted opportunity as to be almost criminal.  In the UK, there will be installation visits to 30 million customers during the roll-out programme, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to proactively engage with consumers on what smart meters can do for them.

7. Another strong belief of mine is that people are lazy: “To make a real impact, living and working in a sustainable way has to be easier than not. We need to limit people’s choice so sustainability is the only option” (to quote myself from here!)  Curb-side collections has seen a revolution in recycling as it’s just as easy to put a bottle or the newspaper in the recycling bin as it is to put it in the landfill bin: no more trips to the bottle bank!  So in this vein, I’d ban unnecessary energy-wasters such as standby buttons.  Designers and manufacturers would soon come up with new solutions and more efficient products, and I reckon the results could be quite brilliant.

8. Sustainability should be a proper career choice for all men and women, with competitive remuneration, recognition and rewards.   As part of this, I’d also sign DECC up to a government-wide initiative to encourage more women into senior roles across the industry.  There are some great programmes out there already – such as POWERful Women – and these will be encouraged, alongside grass roots programmes at schools.

9. I would encourage the supply chain to organise itself more effectively under one umbrella body that would make it easier for me to understand their needs and asks.  This would also be the main conduit for me to cascade policy information and to engage with stakeholders in a meaningful way (ie before decisions were actually made).  In recognition of this, the body would be funded by DECC and I would also guarantee senior attendance at their main meetings. (Sound familiar? Oh those were the days… although I’d do quite a few things differently!)

10. And finally?  Well, finally, I’d plant trees.  In streets.  Across the whole of the country.  Millions of them.  Although most of my work is to do with climate change mitigation, we need to adapt too.  Trees not only provide shading but they generally just make the world a happier place (and of course do their bit to soak up CO2 too).  Boris has made a good start – but my project would simply dwarf his.  I’ll make tree huggers out of the lot of you yet.

What would YOU do if you were in charge of DECC?  Tweet us your thoughts to @se2limited or @se2_rachael!