Morning, Friday, 20th March 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for UK energy efficiency policy. Areas for discussion include priorities for investment, delivery, and regulation in the context of the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan, alongside wider goals for housing standards, tackling fuel poverty, economic growth, and net zero.
Policy, finance & preparing for transition
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss implications of imminent decisions on the design and coordination of major schemes - including the Government’s response to the Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes consultation, and the future of the Energy Company Obligation and the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Attendees will consider how cost caps, obligations, and exemptions can be structured fairly, as well as practicalities for transitional arrangements between schemes, and how support and investment can best reach low-income, off-gas-grid, and non-domestic rented properties. Financial and industrial levers will be examined such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and National Wealth Fund, and how they can best support implementation and align short-term policy actions with long-term goals.
Enforcement & capacity
Enforcement and financing frameworks will be considered, and how they can be made workable for landlords, suppliers, and local authorities alike.
Enablers for building effective delivery capacity will be examined, including workforce development, strengthened certification systems, securing resilient supply chains across housing types and regions, and clarifying the role of local authorities in enforcement. Sessions will assess approaches to achieving consistency across minimum standards, building regulations, and planning policy, particularly where overlaps or inconsistencies might risk slowing progress.
Consumer priorities
Discussion is expected on how consumer confidence and protection can be enhanced. Eligibility rules, accessible redress mechanisms, and support for households navigating retrofit choices will be assessed, drawing on findings from the National Audit Office’s Energy efficiency installations under the Energy Company Obligation value for money report.
Regulation & tech
Further sessions will look at approaches to modernising the technical and regulatory frameworks to support confidence and delivery. The Home Energy Model, reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings Regime, and updates to EPCs will be considered, and how these interact with wider housing and energy systems. Delegates will also assess priorities for data reliability, alignment with the Future Homes Standard and the forthcoming Fuel Poverty Strategy, and implications for low-carbon heat deployment and household resilience.
