Responding to the devastating threat of climate change, Parliament has now declared a climate emergency and the UK Government has legislated to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This target can only be achieved with a major reduction in energy demand.

This short briefing highlights the key commitments NEA Cymru would like to see reflected in the consultation and final strategy, to renew the Welsh Government’s commitment to end fuel poverty and rejuvenate efforts by a range of key stakeholders around this crucial cause.

Each winter across the UK, on average, at least 11,400 people die due to a cold home. During the “Beast from the East” in the winter 2017/18, people were ten times more likely to die from living in a cold house than a road accident. As well as the direct devastating impacts of a cold home, the resulting loss in productivity and cold-related ill health causes significant health and social care costs, queues at GP surgeries and emergency departments and delays the discharge of the most vulnerable patients from hospital.

Decarbonising the UK economy to meet the Government’s world-leading Net Zero greenhouse gas commitment by 2050, represents both an unprecedented challenge and an unrivalled opportunity for innovation and investment. The imperative of net zero emissions, as attested by the latest science and now set out in legislation, will require the continued transition of the power sector and also the rapid decarbonisation of manufacturing, transport, agriculture and buildings.