Minister endorses the work of national eco benchmarking group

Published by Andrew Eagles for Sustainable Homes in Environment and also in Communities, Housing, Local Government

The Rt Honourable Greg Barker, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, has endorsed the work of the Sustainable Homes Index for Tomorrow (SHIFT), the national sustainability best practice group.

The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) works to ensure the UK has secure, clean, affordable energy supplies and promote international action to mitigate climate change.

SHIFT provides a comprehensive environmental benchmark for landlords and other organizations throughout the across the UK.  The methodology was developed with the support of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), WWF, the Mayor of London and UK Green Building Council (UKGBC).  Over two million residents are under membership

The Rt Hon Gregory Barker MP, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change commented: “Energy prices are rising and we face challenging carbon reduction targets. I’m delighted to see SHIFT members taking action to understand their environmental impacts, including energy use, through independent assessment – and then working to reduce them.”

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director of Sustainable Homes welcomed the endorsement, saying: “The UK Government commitment to reducing carbon emissions by 32% by 2030 is a demanding but a necessary one.   SHIFT members are working hard to reduce their carbon emissions and other environmental impacts.  We appreciate having our work recognized by the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change and we commend our members for their efforts.”

SHIFT is the comprehensive environmental benchmark administrated by Sustainable Homes, with members accredited on a scale of Bronze to Platinum.

Over 60 organisations are involved including some of the UK’s largest social landlords: A2Dominion, Catalyst, Midland Heart, Wakefield & District and Wigan & Leigh.  Corporate partners include CombiSmart, CHOP-CLOC, Diamond Build, H+H, Inside Housing, Mears, ROCKWOOL®, SolarTech and VPhase.  

SHIFT is recognised by the Homes and Communities Agency as a useful tool to reduce environmental impacts and to improve “place-making”. The Chartered Institute of Housing also recognises SHIFT as an environmental accreditation scheme. 

Notes to Editors:

About The Department of Energy and Climate Change

The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) is a ministerial department, supported by 8 agencies and public bodies. They are responsible for energy security, action on climate change, renewable energy, affordability, fairness, supporting growth and managing the UK’s energy legacy safely, securely and cost effectively

The Minister of State for Climate Change supports the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change on issues and policies related to climate change, including: Green Deal, Renewable Heat Incentive, managing fuel poverty, energy efficiency and energy demand reduction, national and international climate change.

SHIFT

The SHIFT Index was established with the support of the Homes and Communities Agency, Tenant Services Authority, UK Green Building Council, WWF UK and the Greater London Authority. Sustainable Homes acts as the secretariat for SHIFT Index and is the leading provider of sustainable housing training and consultancy in the UK. www.sustainablehomes.co.uk

For more information about SHIFT please contact:

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director, Sustainable Homes

andrew@sustainablehomes.co.uk                 020 8973 0420