Report and monitor energy use
Clear, reliable information about the energy performance of dwellings is crucial to guide policy and push the market towards more efficient homes. Information can be reported to householders through a variety of means, including energy bills, feedback metering and a building energy label. By 2006, all EU member states are required to have a methodology in place for providing information on the energy performance of all buildings when they are built, sold or rented, as set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). As a result of EPBD the SAP rating of a dwelling, together with information about energy performance and potential for efficiency improvements will be included in the Home Information Pack (HIP). The onus is on the vendor of the property to put together all relevant information about the property prior to sale. This information service should also be extended to the rented sector. The provision of information on dwelling energy consumption is a positive step towards transformation of the housing stock.
A further beneficial step would be to create a universal, address-specific database of the energy efficiency of individual homes (on an established scale), collated at the level of each housing authority. This level of detail would enable local authorities and national government to design and implement targeted policies to improve the energy performance of the worst homes in the stock.