The Liberal Democrats have become the first major party in the UK to back the Energy Bill Revolution campaign calling for carbon revenue to be used to fund a much bigger energy efficiency programme to insulate all the homes of the fuel poor.
The campaign, which has the support of over 150 major charities, businesses and unions across the UK says there is enough carbon revenue to make over half a million fuel poor homes super energy efficient every single year. The Treasury will raise £60 Billion in carbon revenue over the next 15 years but at the moment not one penny is recycled back to help people to insulate their homes.
The decision to back the campaign was made when delegates at the Liberal Democrat party conference yesterday voted through the Green Growth, Green Jobs policy paper which includes a commitment to use carbon revenue to insulate fuel poor homes. It now becomes official liberal democrat party policy.
Research for the Energy Bill Revolution shows that using carbon revenue to insulate homes is not only the best way to bring down energy bills and carbon emissions, it would also create more jobs and growth than any alternative investment.
Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution campaign said:
“This is a fantastic boost to our campaign to end fuel poverty and we applaud the Liberal Democrats for being the first major party to come on board. The UK has one of the worst insulation records in western Europe, with thousands dying from living in cold homes each year. Using carbon revenue to insulate homes can slash energy bills, create 130,000 jobs and save lives. We now ask the other major parties to back this campaign. We want cross-party consensus to end the scourge of fuel poverty once and for all.”
Note for Editors:
1. The Liberal Democrat commitment was made in their policy paper ‘Green Growth, Green Jobs’ which was voted through at the party conference on Sunday15th September 2013. The policy was set out as follows:
“9.2.4 The Carbon Price Floor falls more heavily on vulnerable consumers and those suffering
from fuel poverty. With the EU ETS, it will deliver to the Government around £4.4bn of revenue
over the next three years. In common with other EU governments, Liberal Democrats would
allocate revenue from the EU ETS and the Carbon Price Floor to an energy efficiency programme
designed to assist households suffering from fuel poverty.”
2. For more information about the Energy Bill Revolution go to: www.energybillrevolution.org or call Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution campaign on : 07827 157906
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