Grid constraints “driving a decade’s delay in decarbonising”

Decarbonising platform SaveMoneyCutCarbon has warned that UK businesses in some areas are facing such a bottleneck in grid and infrastructure upgrades that they face delays of as much as decade to decarbonise their buildings.

Mark Sait, the platform’s CEO cautioned that businesses face a growing postcode lottery across the country, with location increasingly dictating the speed of a building’s progress towards net zero, particularly where electric technology or onsite generation requires a grid upgrade. He said:

There is a widening divide in the UK’s transition to low carbon energy. Some organisations are able to move ahead, while others face delays of up to 10 years simply to secure a grid connection…In practice, this is turning net zero from a national ambition into a localised challenge shaped by infrastructure readiness rather than intent.”

Whilst the energy regulator has reported increasing waits for grid upgrades,  the National Infrastructure Commission has also warned that electricity demand could at least double by 2050, placing further strain on an already constrained system. Mark said:

The challenge is no longer just about appetite or technology. In many cases, it comes down to whether the local network can support the transition at all. That creates a serious imbalance, particularly for regional businesses that are already operating on tighter margins and have less flexibility to absorb delays.”

The company believes the issue is particularly acute in regions with high industrial demand or weaker grid infrastructure, where capacity constraints are limiting the rollout of heat pumps, EV charging and solar installations. In these areas, even fully funded projects with clear commercial returns are being stalled due to lack of available connection capacity, effectively pausing decarbonisation regardless of business readiness or investment, it noted.

The company joins the likes of the Confederation of British Industry in calling for the government and network operators to find a way to remove these barriers.

Mark warned that the delays threaten the wider investment climate around lower carbon solutions:

Businesses are unable to decarbonise at pace, so they face higher long-term energy costs, reduced competitiveness and greater exposure to energy price volatility – particularly as energy resilience becomes more closely tied to commercial performance. It also raises broader concerns about regional economic inequality, as areas with stronger infrastructure are better positioned to attract investment, accelerate upgrades and move faster towards net zero targets.”