Decarbonising the UK’s stock of public-sector buildings could cost up to £30bn, according to figures obtained by the BBC’s 'Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg' programme through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the estimates were an “indicative” figure, based on current "undiscounted 2022 prices" and stressed that the costs were “highly likely” to change over time.
“We have halved emissions from the central government estate in the last 12 years and invested £2.5bn in supporting those running our public buildings such as schools and hospitals to make similar progress," a government spokesperson added.
“This is on top of our wider efforts to increase our use of home-grown energy such as renewables, increasing our energy security while meeting our net zero ambitions.”
The disclosure follows the government's efforts to grapple with what has been described as an estimated...