Alison Rose appointed to help accelerate energy efficiency
Alison Rose DBE, NatWest CEO, named Co-Chair of the Energy Efficiency Taskforce to spearhead efforts to reduce the UK’s energy consumption and cut household bills.
- The Taskforce aims to accelerate household insulation, boiler upgrades and business energy efficiency measures to help cut national energy consumption by 15% over the next seven years.
- The Chancellor welcomed the appointment at a summit today (Tuesday 21st February) with CEOs, founders, and leaders from the UK’s top green companies.
Alison Rose, Group Chief Executive Officer at NatWest, has been confirmed as Co-Chair of the Government’s Energy Efficiency Taskforce, charged with helping reduce national energy consumption by 15% over the next seven years and, in the process, cut bills, and help push down inflation.
The Taskforce, launched today, will devise a workplan to help reduce total UK energy demand by 15% from 2021 levels by 2030 across domestic and commercial buildings and industrial process.
Responding to industry’s call for long-term funding certainty to help strengthen UK supply chains, £6 billion of government funding will be available from 2025 to support this objective, in addition to the £6.6 billion allocated this Parliament – taking the total to £12.6 billion this decade.
The Chancellor confirmed the appointment at a meeting with nearly 100 representatives from the UK’s top green firms to gather the best ideas for driving growth in the sector, projected to be worth £1 trillion to UK businesses up to 2030.
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said:
Our green industry is a key growth sector set to be worth £1 trillion by the end of the decade. It will bring high-paid jobs, brand new manufacturers and huge export opportunities – but needs extra attention now to make sure British companies and our people can fully share in the sector’s success and grow the economy.
Energy Security & Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps said:
I am determined to reduce people’s energy bills, bringing wholesale energy prices down to their lowest ever within the next decade, through investment in cheaper and more innovative energy sources such as renewables and nuclear.
But improving the energy efficiency of our homes by bringing the latest technologies into them will also help cut energy use, and with that people’s bills.
The Energy Efficiency Taskforce – to be led by the excellent Lord Callanan and Alison Rose – will be committed to clearing the barriers to getting this done, whether that’s investment, training up installers or improving the supply of products.
Alison Rose, Chief Executive Officer of NatWest Group, said:
I’m delighted to be co-chairing the new Energy Efficiency Taskforce, alongside Lord Callanan. Addressing the climate crisis is a team sport, and building vital partnerships between the public and private sector is the key to tackling this challenge at pace.
Improving energy efficiency will not only drive a lower carbon environment, but also deliver greater economic security through lower bills for people, families, and businesses right across the UK.
Hosted at Plexal in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the “Treasury Connect: Green Industries” aimed to expand the possibilities of the sector with detailed sessions on reforming and simplifying regulation, getting green firms the finance and skilled domestic workforce they need to grow, boosting exports and building strong UK supply chains.
The UK’s green economy enjoyed a bumper 2021, with both turnover and employment at their highest level since records began. According recent ONS data, 247,400 people now work in green industries, with further evidence that the clean energy, electric vehicle, and energy efficiency markets in particular are continuing to grow rapidly, and outperforming the wider UK economy.
The conference was also be attended by the Energy Secretary Grant Shapps and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey, with specific discussions on Regulation, Financing, Skills & Supply Chains, and Exports.
Alison Rose has extensive experience in financing energy efficiency. NatWest Group has committed provide £100 billion of Climate and Sustainable Funding and Financing between 1 July 2021 and the end of 2025 to help families buy energy-efficient homes and create jobs that will deliver our transition to Net Zero.
The Taskforce launched today also includes Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Lord Callanan as Co-Chair. Membership of the Taskforce’s Steering Group will be announced in due course.