In a meeting organised by local Basildon MP Angela Smith, Honeywell ED&S has recently engaged in high level talks with Ed Miliband – Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change – over the Government not acknowledging the importance of lighting and heating control in upcoming energy efficiency legislation.

ED&S – and parent business Honeywell – is concerned over the ‘lack of content’ in the new draft of Part L of the Building Regulations which covers the “Conservation of Fuel and Power”. The concerns particularly relate to lighting controls in commercial and other non-residential buildings; and heating controls in homes.

There is a huge scale of opportunity available to the Government in these respects; with lighting consuming 40% of energy in non-residential buildings, and heating 60% in homes. Low cost and easy-to-install retrofittable devices exist that could reduce this energy consumption to 30% and 20% respectively; but the draft legislation  does not acknowledge the promise these devices deliver when it comes to reducing energy usage.

In the course of the 30-minute meeting, Ed Miliband committed to raise the issue with John Healy, Minister currently responsible for building regulations; as did Angela Smith, MP for Basildon and Cabinet office minister (previously PPS to Gordon Brown and Parliamentary Under-Secretary in John Healy’s department).

Mike Southgate, Managing Director of Honeywell ED&S says, “While it is disappointing that the draft building regulations do not fully recognise the contribution energy efficient devices and controls can make – especially given the Government’s highly challenging 2020 and 2050 carbon reduction targets – the meeting was a most positive one. It is hoped that Mr Miliband can further press our case with his colleagues; and the revised Part L is able to deliver more effective results possible through its requirements”.