The British Property Federation hascalled on the government to make better use of the Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme, designed to reimburse landlords for greening existing buildings.
Speaking at a UK Green Building Council Dragon's Den, the BPF joined organisations including Friends Of The Earth and the Empty Homes Agency to make a case for one type of incentive scheme to help green the country's building stock.
Enhanced capital allowances currently exist to encourage energy efficiency investment by the private sector in plant or machinery. The problem is that they do not cover investment in the actual fabric of buildings, despite the fact that this is where the most significant savings may lie.
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BPF spokesman, Andrew Teacher, said: "We want the remit of ECAs to be broadened so the wider benefits can be realised. We need to get real about what the issues are and how they must be tackled, and a scheme that targets those who drive the market with fiscal incentives will provide an easy win for ministers.
"The scope of ECAs must be expanded. In many cases, improvements to the building's fabric - such as insulation or glazing - will hold the key to improving energy efficiency, particularly in minimising waste heat. Without incentives, many of the kinds of improvements necessary would take too long to offset against the savings they would create, which would be felt mainly by tenants."
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