Comment on Government insulation plans
ECIU's Jess Ralston on Government's plans to insulate Britain.
By Tricia Curmi
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Commenting on the news that the Government is drawing up plans to insulate hundreds of thousands more UK homes [1], Jess Ralston, Senior Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said:
“Number 10 is now alert to the need to stop wasting heat, but pinching from other efficiency scheme's pots, like those for public sector buildings, isn’t going to make the country any better off as Brits, either through tax or bills, will still be paying to burn more expensive gas. It’s Rishi Sunak and the Treasury that have blocked greater investment in energy efficiency [2] without having any real plan for bringing down bills long term.
“The CBI and IFS [3,4] have been clear that paying over £20bn towards people’s energy bills this winter is needed but just isn’t sustainable in the long-run. Early predictions for the January price cap suggest it could be even higher than this October. The high gas price may not go away for years. Voters will want real, permanent answers to the problem and the experts are clear that energy efficiency is the way to bring down energy bills.”
Notes to editors:
1. Boris Johnson hatches plan to insulate Britons against winter bills
2. Lord Callahan, BEIS Minister in Lords, 7April: “With regard to insulation schemes, we are spending something like £6.6 billion over the term of this Parliament on insulation schemes. It would have been good to have gone further, but the Treasury would not support it.”
3. CBI: Give people more control over their energy bills
4. More help may be expected next year, says think tank
5. ECIU briefing: Insulation and gas prices
For more information:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email:george.smeeton@eciu.net