The government has been accused of reneging on its energy efficiency commitments, backtracking on plans to roll out Display Energy Certificates for commercial buildings, Building reported.
Chancellor George Osborne is understood to have blocked the plans in a move which is likely to cost the construction industry millions in lost work to upgrade commercial buildings.
In March the government committed to roll out the certificates – currently used to rate the actual energy performance of public buildings – to all commercial buildings by the end of October 2012.
The construction industry had campaigned for the roll-out of DECs, with 15 chief executives, including Dan Labbad from Lend Lease and John Frankiewicz from Willmott Dixon, signing a letter in support in May.
DECs are also supported by the CBI and the British Property Federation which condemned the news.
Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “This is a massive missed opportunity. DECs are a critical tool for making buildings more sustainable. When you look at the issue of sustainability it always comes back to measuring and reporting – we all need to be speaking a common language to push the necessary changes.”
A source close to the process told Building: “The chancellor is wary of anything that looks like regulation. There has been furious wrangling.”
Paul King, chief executive officer of the UK Green Building Council, said: “This is a very big own goal from government. Its much trumpeted ‘Carbon Plan’ sadly appears not to be worth the paper it’s written on.”
In a separate story Building reported that two thirds of chief executives surveyed claimed the government is not doing enough to promote the Green Deal to homeowners.
The Green Deal, which is due to come into force next year is designed to get private finance to pay for energy efficiency improvements to existing homes, with the money paid back via future energy bills.
Many of those interviewed said that further detail on the Green Deal and other green programmes needed to be set out more quickly.
Details of how the Green Deal will work will be set out in a consultation, expected in late October or early November.
