Can Soft Rationing of Energy Transform the UK Non-domestic Energy Culture?

The link between energy consumption and climate change is generally accepted by the UK politicians, the public and business communities. However, this recognition is at odds with the long standing non-domestic energy culture which views energy as a low cost resource and limitless availability as an entitlement.
Energy policies have generally relied on voluntary rational economic behavioural responses to financial initiatives established to support the UK’s 2050 Pathway and carbon emissions reductions targets. However, many non-domestic users have not adopted the financially beneficial energy efficient technologies and behaviours as expected and progress towards mitigating climate change is now stalling. Since 2012 carbon emissions reductions have been largely confined to the power sector, whilst emissions from the UK’s non-domestic building stock have been rising. Predictions now suggest that, without the introduction of more challenging measures to supplement existing progress, the energy transition pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels will be missed.
This paper suggests that these challenging measures could include soft rationing of non-domestic energy supplies to transform the UK’s current non-domestic energy culture that provokes socio-economic energy inertia by decarbonising energy sources, to one which values energy as a finite resource and promotes reduction of energy use. Soft rationing, delivered through a scheme of energy allowances to cap non-domestic energy use, may reenergise the pathway to mitigating climate change by promoting sustainable energy choices which focus on how much energy is needed rather than how much is used.