Britain needs cross industry group to promote energy efficiency, says CEO of Tandem Bank

He made the comments following the publication of the latest monthly tracker on Tandem Bank’s Green Gap index, which aims to provide an insight into the steps being taken by the public to cut their carbon footprint.

The Green Gap Tracker improved by 0.8 points in January to 108, up from 107.2 in December, and 105.5 in November 2023.

The tracker provides a monthly update using the latest Government data. The research was commissioned by Tandem Bank and conducted by the Diffley Partnership, a specialist research and insight consultancy.

Figures show that in 2022, during the UK’s post-COVID recovery, greenhouse gas emissions in the UK decreased largely due to reduced fuel usage for heating buildings, according to the tracker.

It added: “In 2023,the uptake of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) hit an all-time high, with 314,687 new registrations, an increase of nearly 50,000 on the previous year. Remarkably,the number of BEVs hitting the road in 2023 surpassed the combined totals of 2020 and 2021. During January 2024 Britain’s millionth battery electric car (BEV) reached the road.”

Mr Mollart said: “I’m delighted the Green Gap is closing.

“More needs to be done. But it’s not just for consumers; the British public’s sincere ambitions and intentions to do the right thing by the planet have been hamstrung by continued confusing rhetoric from political parties, whether blue or red in colour.

"And with the worrying latest forecasts suggesting the UK will miss its decarbonisation targets by 2030, it’s critical that our elected leaders take urgent action to correct their course.

“We need a concrete plan from any government, one that balances ambition with feasibility and is underpinned by support.

"Government shouldn’t do that alone and should again look to utilise industry expertise.

"A cross industry group is required and re-establishing the Energy Efficiency Taskforce or similar is the way to do it.

"We know from our customers that people really do care about climate change and want to do their bit, whether that’s taking out a loan for green home improvements or saving ethically.

He added: "It’s incumbent on decision-makers to do whatever they can to set the right conditions to help people do the right thing.”