Energy Demand Research Champion

英国正面临三个方面的能源危机：气候变化、能源安全和可负担性。尤其是能源价格危机，乌克兰战争进一步加剧，成为能源安全和可负担性的头条新闻。英国的公共政策和关于如何解决这场危机的辩论主要集中在固定能源供应上，例如通过寻找石油和天然气进口的替代品，加快新的核电建设，解决陆上风能规划立法，以及推动转向热泵和电动汽车。人们对如何减少能源需求以帮助这一努力的关注要少得多。然而，减少能源需求是解决能源危机的根本，也是改善能源安全、减少家庭能源账单和应对气候变化所必需的。英国已经制定了到2050年成为净零社会的目标，能源需求解决方案研究中心(CREDS)进行的研究表明，减少能源使用可以帮助实现到2050年所需减排的一半。能源挑战要求我们的社会发生根本性变化，在政策、企业和公众的共同支持下，大幅减少能源需求并广泛使用低碳技术。虽然这构成了挑战，但它也为英国在减少能源需求和相关研究方面成为全球领导者提供了机会。作为能源需求研究的共同领军者，我们将通过与研究、政策、行业、商业、非政府组织和社区组织的公开和广泛的咨询过程，在英国开展下一阶段的能源需求研究。我们将在以前研究成果的基础上，确定可以从这些研究中学到更多东西，以及哪些新的研究问题应该得到回答。我们将与一系列人和组织合作，建立一个具有现实影响的优秀和有意义的研究中心。我们的目标是共同领导一个协作、创新、多样化和创造性的中心，支持英国和其他地区的能源需求研究。

The UK is facing an energy crisis on three fronts: climate change, energy security, and affordability. The energy price crisis in particular, further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has made both energy security and affordability front page news. UK public policy and debates on how to solve this crisis have largely focused on fixing energy supply, e.g. by finding alternatives to oil and gas imports, speeding new nuclear build, addressing onshore wind planning legislation, and promoting a switch to heat pumps and electric vehicles. Much less attention has been given to how we can reduce energy demand to help this effort. Yet, energy demand reduction is fundamental in solving the energy crisis, and needed for improving energy security, reducing household energy bills and addressing climate change. The UK has set a target to become a Net Zero society by 2050, and research conducted by the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) shows that reducing energy use could help meet half of the required emissions reductions needed by 2050. The energy challenge requires a fundamental change in our society, to enable a deep energy demand reduction and wide use of low-carbon technologies, supported by policy, businesses and the public alike. While this poses a challenge, it also provides an opportunity for the UK to become a global leader in energy demand reduction, and associated research. As Energy Demand Research Co-Champions we will develop the next phase of energy demand research in the UK via an open and wide-reaching consultation process with research, policy, industry, business, NGOs and community organisations. We will build on previous research findings to identify what more can be learnt from those, and which new research questions should be answered. We will work together with a range of people and organisations to develop a Centre of excellent and meaningful research that has real-life impact. Our aim is to co-lead a Centre that is collaborative, innovative, diverse and creative, championing energy demand research in the UK and beyond.