OFTEC NEWS
OFTEC calls for bolder action
WILL NORTHERN IRELAND DEVELOP ITS OWN ENERGY STRATEGY OR SIMPLY FOLLOW GB’S LEAD, ASKS OFTEC
IRELAND MANAGER DAVID BLEVINGS…
Northern Ireland is unique in many ways. But, in terms of heating, we stand out as being highly dependent on liquid fuels. While kerosene heats just 5% of GB households, it supplies the heating and hot water needs for over 60% of homes in Northern Ireland. The NI Executive has been ‘deliberating’ over an energy strategy since 2021 to comply with the UK-wide requirements to reduce emissions. Energy policy is devolved, meaning we could do something different to the rest of the UK. For several years now, we have had lots of consultation and discussion, but very little in the way of leadership and strategy. Before Christmas, the NI Audit Office lambasted the Department for the Economy (DfE) and said it ‘cannot conclude’ that the DfE’s implementation of its multi-million-pound green energy strategy is ‘value for money’. For detail, since 2020, £107m has been spent in a bid to deliver net-zero targets and affordable energy, but its report said there is a ‘very significant risk’ that two of the three key targets will be missed by 2030. Just 1% of the targeted energy savings from buildings and industry has been achieved since the strategy launched. So, on the back of this report, the Department has recently released two documents – firstly, a summary of responses to the call for evidence on biofuels and, secondly, a response to the consultation on support for low- carbon heat in the residential sector. The call for evidence on biofuels was, indeed, just a call for evidence. The Executive stressed the difference
David Blevings, OFTEC Ireland Manager.
36 | PLUMBING & HEATING MAGAZINE
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