Communities minister Iain Wright has called on the business community to work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

Buildings are responsible for almost 50% of the UK's energy consumption and carbon emission, which is a higher percentage than road or air traffic.

Wright said that if government and business - landlord and tenants, employers and employees - worked together, the UK could save 40m tonnes of carbon by 2020. Wright was speaking ahead of the next stage in the roll out of energy ratings for buildings, when on 6 April large commercial properties and new homes will need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

However, by October all buildings including small and medium size companies will also be affected by the changes in law.

The certificate is one of the measures being introduced to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s 25m buildings to help meet the UK’s carbon emission reduction targets. The ratings - similar to those found on products such as fridges - are standard so the energy efficiency of one building can easily be compared with another building of a similar type.

Iain Wright says: "We all recognise the serious and real threat of climate change - it's no longer a question of whether we need to act but how much we need to do to stabilise our climate.

"A major part of the answer lies in improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Most people do not realise that our buildings account for around half of CO2 emissions in the UK - more than twice that of cars and planes.
"Driving up energy efficiency in buildings means more than improving the fabric of the buildings. It means ensuring they are used and managed in a sustainable way. Public authorities will be using Display Energy Certificates to make the way they use their buildings publicly accountable.”