Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making to achieve the 2020 energy efficiency goals.

In 2007 EU Member States agreed to an overarching non-binding target to reduce primary energy consumption by 20% by 2020, against a 2007 business-as-usual projection.

The 2012 EU Energy Efficiency Directive established, among other things, non-binding national energy savings targets on Member States. In April 2013, the UK notified the European Commission of its national energy saving target (Article 3). The target was set at the level of 129.2 million tonnes of oil equivalent for final energy consumption, representing an 18% reduction relative to the 2007 business-as-usual projection. This is equivalent to a 20% reduction in primary energy consumption.

According to DECC’s Updated Energy and Emissions Projections 2013, final energy consumption in the UK will be 20% lower in 2020 than the 2007 business as usual projection meaning that the UK is on track to overachieve against its target. This reflects the Government’s ambitious policy package.