20 May 2013
Around two in every five councils in England and Wales are ignoring the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, research suggests.
A freedom of information (FoI) request from the Property and Energy Professionals Association shows that just 58% of local authorities say they comply with the directive which is intended to cut pollution and fuel bills.
Three in 10 say they do not comply (30%) and another one in eight refused to respond (12%).
The association said it issued the FoI request because the Government is not keeping track of how millions of pounds in funding is being spent, after the cash was allocated to councils to help them comply with the directive.
The obligation to comply has been in place since 1 August 2007, almost six years ago.
The directive states that any public building bigger than 500sq m must have a Display Energy Certificate.
Central government has allocated £3.4 million in 2008-09 and £1.9 million every year since then to help councils fulfil their obligation.
Association chairman Stephen O’Hara said: “What has become clear is that there is a total lack of understanding amongst non-compliant authorities of the potential for DECs to save both energy and money. What’s more, by flouting the regulations, they are actually costing their taxpayers money.”
Copyright Press Association 2013