The move was welcomed by the Energy Bill Revolution, an alliance of 200 charities, businesses, cities and unions that have been campaigning for energy efficiency to be made a UK infrastructure investment priority.
Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution said: “At last it has been officially recognised that making our homes energy efficient is a key part of Britain’s infrastructure challenge. But the cost is entirely placed on energy bills, making it impossible to set up a programme at the scale needed to end fuel poverty and slash carbon emissions. Yet the Government plans to spend £120 billion of capital funds on infrastructure projects over the next 5 years. There is now an overwhelming case for the Government to use capital funds to create a world leading energy efficiency programme which could leverage billions in private investment to end the UK’s cold home crisis.”
Energy efficiency is already recognised as infrastructure by the International Energy Agency and the European Investment Bank and the Government’s own economic data shows that a home energy efficiency programme would create as much economic return as any other infrastructure project. Yet it has the added benefit of being the most cost effective way to cut carbon emissions and reduce energy bills, can reduce NHS costs and is the only long term solution to fuel poverty.
This week Panorama revealed academic research from UCL showing that 9,000 people died last winter from living in cold homes in England and Wales, 20% of the total number of Excess Winter Deaths. The new research has heaped pressure on the Government to do more to fix the UK’s crumbling housing stock which is one of the least energy efficient in Europe.
ENDS
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