Department for Energy and Climate Change
To help develop this article, click ‘Edit this article’ above.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) works to make sure there are clean, safe and affordable energy supplies in the UK. DECC is based in London and Aberdeen.
DECC’s responsibilities include:
- Secure energy – ensuring UK homes and businesses have secure supplies of energy for heat, light, power and transport.
- Act on climate change – government and international action is promoted within the department to alleviate the effects of climate change.
- Affordability – delivering low carbon energy safely at the cheapest prices possible to consumers, taxpayers and the economy.
- Fairness – making certain the benefits and costs of policies are distributed evenly in order to protect the poor and most vulnerable in society.
- Competitiveness – addressing issues that occur within the energy industry.
- Promoting growth – maximising the benefits to the UK economy, through job creation, industry expansion and investment. Making the most of existing gas and oil reserves and seizing opportunities that arise in the global green market.
- Management – overseeing the UK’s energy legacy.
Their priorities include:
- Cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 80% by the year 2050. This includes obtaining around 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020.
- Using the Energy Bill to support investment in energy infrastructure within the UK.
- Create the framework to bring forward the required £110 billion for energy infrastructure over the course of the next ten years.
- Helping consumers by keeping energy bills down and by executing the Green Deal.
- Promoting action in the EU and internationally to maintain energy safety.
- Agreeing a global deal for climate change.
DECC work with eight main agencies and public bodies:
- Ofgem – non-ministerial department.
- Civil Nuclear Police Authority – executive public body.
- Coal Authority - executive public body.
- Committee on Climate Change - executive public body.
- Nuclear Decommissioning Authority - executive public body.
- Committee on Radioactive Waste Management – advisory public body.
- Fuel Poverty Advisory Group - advisory public body.
- Nuclear Liabilities Financing Assurance Board - advisory public body.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
OpenUSD possibilities: Look before you leap
Being ready for the OpenUSD solutions set to transform architecture and design.
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025
Highlighting the continuing threat to trades persons.
Retrofit of Buildings, a CIOB Technical Publication
Now available in Arabic and Chinese aswell as English.
The context, schemes, standards, roles and relevance of the Building Safety Act.
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.