Government to pledge millions for loft insulation!
The Prime Minister will next week unveil an extensive programme to insulate millions of homes, as part of plans to cut fuel bills for families across Britain.
Gordon Brown will announce a multi-million pound scheme to install loft insulation and other energy-saving measures to save families hundreds of pounds a year which will form the heart of the Government's drive to ease the pain of punitive fuel rises. The scheme could eventually upgrade every home in the country.
Mr Brown believes the increased winter fuel allowance for pensioners announced earlier this year will provide only short-term help with soaring bills. He argued that long-term measures to cut people's costs for good will offer greater help to voters. About half of all heat lost in an average home is lost through the walls and loft. Insulating to current standards could save the average family in a three-bedroomed semi £275 a year.
Speaking to the CBI Scotland, Mr Brown declared: "We are currently working up proposals with the utility companies to address problems caused by the impact of world oil prices on gas and electricity bills. Not short-term gimmicks but firm steps towards making every home in Britain more energy efficient, reducing bills not just temporarily but permanently." Ministers have ruled out any increase in the winter fuel allowance and will not offer cash help to low income families, believing that action on energy efficiency will do more to cut fuel bills in the short and long term. They have exerted pressure on the energy companies by insisting that a windfall tax on their profits is still an option.
Number 10 has faced intense pressure to impose a levy on energy firms' profits, with 90 Labour MPs signing a petition pressing for such a move. Alternative proposals to raise cash by auctioning carbon credits have fallen foul of European rules. Ministers favour using the continuing clamour for a windfall levy to extract cash from the private sector for their programme to ease the pain of fuel price inflation.
Pressure intensified to implement the windfall tax yesterday as a survey showed the six major energy companies had increased dividends by 19 per cent last year, rising from £1.4bn to £1.6bn. Sir Jeremy Beecham, acting chairman of the Local Government Association, which commissioned the research, said the cash should be channelled into a national home insulation programme.
Labour MPs are also pressing Mr Brown to implement a far-reaching package of measures to tackle fuel poverty by introducing green energy.
Members of SERA, the Labour Party's environmental campaign group, whose members include a string of senior ministers, called on the Government to supplement the winter fuel allowance with subsidies for energy efficiency measures. A report, sent to all Labour MPs today, calls for the creation of a National Energy Service to drive measures to cut fuel consumption and proposes that the New Deal for the unemployed be transformed into a national environmental task force to deliver cuts in household fuel consumption.
It also calls for all homes to be given a free energy MOT and calls for communities that develop renewable energy schemes to get discounts on fuel bills.
The report warns: "It is the political and moral duty of a Labour government to act with compassion to tackle the immediate energy pain being felt by families across the UK; but we must also recognise that the measures to tackle this issue – fuel payments, subsidies, social tariffs, windfall taxes, will not deal with the long-term root causes of these problems."
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British are "bored" with Climate Change
A new energy report suggests that British people are less environmentally conscious than they were five years ago.
4 out of 10 britons take no action at all to reduce their household carbon emissions, and twice as many people are now "bored" by talk of climate change as in 2005. Experts warn that green fatigue is one of the major reasons as to why there are more cars on the roads, more planes in the sky and no reductions in the mountain of packaging waste. The report reveals that too few people are making an effort to reduce their household CO2 emissions and environmentalists believe the recession is further undermining public commitment.
The report, by market researchers Mintel, shows that many of Britain's 26 million homes fail to make simple adjustments such as switching off lights, turning down thermostats, and switching off appliances rather than leaving them on standby. The findings also reveal that people are less willing to spend money on energy-efficient appliances than they were five years ago. Analysts believe the recession together with a backlash against "extreme" environmentalist pressure has reduced people's enthusiasm to combat climate change.
The report also found that resistance to saving the planet was greater among men; one in four said they think there is too much concern over the environment, compared with one in six women.
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More information on the 2016 definition of "Zero Carbon".
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced additional information about the new definition of "Zero Carbon".
The Government plans to investigate setting up a community energy fund which will be used to pay for district heating and renewable energy schemes.
Developers who pay into the fund will not have to install onsite renewables or microgeneration equipment. Many developers have welcomed the flexibility of paying into a fund rather than grappling with renewables on each site.
However, the full definition of 'zero-carbon' has once again been delayed. This is despite a pre-election promise to get the definition of zero carbon finalised “within weeks” of getting into office.
The new Government Housing Minister has recently announced that the coalition will review the level of on-site renewables required - before publishing the final definition of the standard, which all new homes will have to reach after 2016.
In the announcement, the Minister also re-affirmed his commitment to all new homes being zero-carbon from 2016 and confirmed the introduction of the ‘Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard' which requires a minimum standard in relation to insulation levels and air tightness and thermal bridging in buildings.
Zero carbon is required of all Code for Sustainable Homes level six homes. Clarification of what zero carbon will mean is still to be decided.
If you require assistance with your Code for Sustainable Homes level requirements, contact Ecowise - we are a fully accredited Code for Sustainable Homes assessment organisation.
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Pilot Tidal Energy Scheme for North Wales Coast
Conwy County Borough Council has backed plans for a pilot tidal energy scheme off the North Wales Coast.
The £150 million scheme at Llanddulas in North Wales would provide a testing facility for turbine designers and manufacturers, and assess the environmental impact of turbines.
The project was given approval by the council as part of a strategic regeneration strategy for the Conwy coast, prepared by consultant Capita Symonds.
Paul Terry, Capita Symonds, said: "Tidal power will play a key role in providing a sustainable energy source for future generations. The North Wales coast is an ideal place for such a scheme as it’s blessed with a good tidal range and suitable ocean depth." He added that the project could also help protect the coast from rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion.
The regeneration strategy also calls for seven new visitor centres costing £30m should be built at key locations stretching from Conwy to Rhuddlan. But North Wales Tourism chairman Chris Jackson raised doubts over whether the proposals could realistically be funded in the current economic climate. The council’s approval now means that Capita Symonds will seek funding for feasibility studies and investigations to develop a business case for the scheme.
