Government can no longer ‘shy away’ from behaviour change

“Relatively low” awareness of low-carbon heat has not increased since 2015, according to a new report, which warned that the government can no longer shy away from the requirement for behaviour changes in tackling decarbonisation.

The study, entitled ‘Planes, Homes and Automobiles: The Role of Behaviour Change in Delivering Net Zero’, was published on Friday (20 August) by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

It said data shows awareness levels of low-carbon heating are around the same as they were in 2015 and that only around half of people have taken steps to reduce their home energy use, with the majority believing they are already doing as much as they can.

“Awareness is at relatively low levels and has not increased over time – a major challenge given the centrality of decarbonising our homes for delivering net zero,” said the report which was co-authored by Tim Lord, a senior fellow at institute and former director of clean growth at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

It said there are “formidable” barriers to getting people to act, primarily cost and hassle.

But while a minority of people are willing to install low-carbon heating systems, this number has risen “significantly” in the last two years.

The report said awareness of electric vehicles is higher compared to low-carbon heating, and people are increasingly willing to consider buying one.

If the main barriers, which it identifies as cost and range anxiety due to concern about charging infrastructure can be addressed, uptake of EVs should follow, it predicted.

The report said a much greater proportion of changes in the next 15 years will have to be delivered by behaviour change than in the last 15 years during which much of the progress on decarbonisation has been achieved by reducing emissions from the power sector with relatively little direct impact on consumers.

This means altering behaviour is “unavoidably a much more important part” of the response so “cannot be avoided and must be part of any credible strategy”.

It also said the government has a “central role to play” in demystifying the changes which will be required by explaining their nature and timing

“To date, the government’s approach has been to shy away from behaviour-change requirements. That needs to change.”

It said that clear calls to action on decarbonisation must be coupled with “easily accessible pathways to the funding, technologies and infrastructure” which will enable behaviour change to be delivered.

As an example, it said a household willing to get a heat pump will find it “enormously difficult” to access the funding and installation expertise required.

The report has been published as the government wrestles with whether to signal a ban on new gas boilers, which the Climate Change Committee has said should be mandated from 2033, when it publishes its delayed heat and buildings strategy.