Green bank gets Esta support

The government’s proposed Green Investment Bank is in danger of leaving non-domestic energy users out of the mix, according the Energy Services and Technology Association. Esta has welcomed the recent […]

The government’s proposed Green Investment Bank is in danger of leaving non-domestic energy users out of the mix, according the Energy Services and Technology Association.

Esta has welcomed the recent report by the Green Investment Bank Commission, but its executive director Alan Aldridge said: “There is a great deal of attention given to both the residential sector and to the supply industry. Yet many thousands of organisations in both public and private sectors could achieve so much more if they had ready access to both advice and investment. Studies have shown time and time again both the potential savings and the barriers that consumers face. The planned Green Investment Bank must tackle this challenge.”

Mr Aldridge added: “It is clear we need a new, sharper vision and strategy if we are to achieve our 2020 low carbon targets – after all, we have just 10 years to put get everything in place.

“The commission rightly emphasises the vital importance of prioritising investment in energy efficiency and of leveraging the expertise of the private sector to deliver the potential carbon savings. As an industry, we have the skills and technologies to do that. However, our experience over several decades is that we need to build and expand upon existing success rather than starting over yet again.”

Esta, which represents over 120 providers of energy management equipment and services to UK businesses, believes the proposal to absorb much of the expertise of the Carbon Trust within the new organisation would give the bank “a welcome injection of existing expertise”.

“There is,” said Mr Aldridge, “no need to re-invent the wheel. It is important to distinguish though between the enabling expertise of the bank and the practical delivery of carbon-saving technology by commercial organisations such as ESTA members, who possess the infrastructure and commercial incentives to make implementation successful. In the past, these separate roles have too often overlapped which has led to duplication of effort, reduced impact and confusion for end-users.”

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