黑洞社区

The government has been slammed for failing to account for 拢11m of spending aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

The Property Energy Professionals Association (PEPA), which represents businesses that provide energy efficiency certifications, said the government had failed to keep track of 拢11m in funding for councils that has been provided over the past five years to boost the energy efficiency of buildings.

The funding was provided to enable local authorities to meet their obligations under Europeans Commission鈥檚 Energy Performance of 黑洞社区s Directive (EPBD).

The European Directive states that an up to date Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) should be made available whenever a residential property is put up for sale or rent, while Display Energy Certificates (DECs), which detail a building鈥檚 energy consumption, should be on display in public buildings.

However, following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, PEPA found that the government was unable to track where or how this money has been spent by councils.

Stephen O鈥橦ara, Chairman of the Property Energy Professionals Association (PEPA), said: 鈥淏y failing to track how this money is being spent by individual authorities, central government has no way of identifying whether these funds are being used in the right way or which local authorities are failing in their duties.鈥�

鈥淭here is no doubt that some local authorities have taken this responsibility very seriously, helping to support  consumers, along with the occupants of public buildings in their local area to reduce their carbon emissions and as a result, their energy costs too.

鈥淗owever, others have failed to even pay lip service to this important directive, with many not even having an up to date DEC available in their own buildings.  This cannot continue.鈥�

Andrew Warren, Association for the Conservation of Energy director said the failure to account for the spending was an 鈥渁ppalling鈥� example of 鈥減ublic sector incompetence and waste鈥�.

He said: 鈥� Ministers 鈥� should instruct their civil servants to start doing their jobs, and sort this out immediately. Otherwise we could end up paying enormous fines to Brussels for our failure to implement the laws that we signed up to.鈥�