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The institution had a high level of input in the development of some of the new legislation announced in The Queen’s Speech on 6 November.

The three most relevant bills will be on energy, climate change and planning reform all very much interrelated.

The Energy Bill is spearheaded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). CIBSE is continuing to contribute to a series of high-level BERR meetings in preparation for the bill through the Engineering Forum for Energy. The increased emphasis on reduction of demand is one result of this involvement.

The draft Climate Change Bill was published in October 2006 at the same time as the Stern Review, setting out a business case for acting on climate change. CIBSE made submissions on both the draft bill and the Stern Review and has continued this input in a number of related consultations.

The bill will make the UK the first country in the world to introduce a legally binding framework to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The Planning Bill will include a requirement for the inclusion of renewable energy for new developments along the lines of the Merton Rule, but allowing for off-site generated renewable energy if that were more cost-effective.

CIBSE has proposed a hierarchy that could be followed to achieve the most cost-effective solution for provision of energy to a development, beginning with energy demand reduction.