The Prime Minister is literally playing with fire on the UK’s green policies – it is critical to remember that measures to tackle climate change will also cut bills.
That’s the warning from the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), responding to news that Rishi Sunak is considering delaying or abandoning various green policies because of suggested costs to consumers.
Chris Friedler, Energy Efficiency Policy Manager at the ADE, said: “The Prime Minister is right to suggest that energy bills need to be reduced and costs for consumers need to be slashed – the best way to do this is to invest more money into measures that reduce energy consumption, such as energy efficiency.
“How would you like an extra £220 a year? The government’s original proposals for energy efficiency for renters found they would save just that, with £3.6 billion in net benefits overall. How about 900,000 jobs by the end of the decade? Or £100 billion of private investment? The implementation of climate measures would give us both of the above – measures to reduce the amount of energy required need not be burdensome, and in fact the government must do more to reap the economic benefits of net zero. Those are our sentiments, but they are also that of the government’s own independent Net Zero Review, barely six months old. The UK cannot afford to risk these jobs, investment or our energy independence, and neither can British households.”
With new suggestions in Whitehall that the Government is looking to reform energy performance certificate (EPC) standards, Chris Friedler also said: “With EPC reform also now seemingly imminent, the government must act decisively to make EPCs save money and carbon more effectively. Watering down EPCs will be a red line for industry, but equally, there is real opportunity to improve the accuracy of the metric for the individual household, making sure they get the cost savings they greatly need.”
