M&S put forward as energy efficiency champion

Shadow energy and climate change secretary Greg Clark told the party conference in Manchester that every household in Britain would be entitled to a ‘green deal’.

He said this would entail ‘the right to have any efficiency works that will save money on the bill, immediately, without delay, by a trusted supplier like Marks and Spencer, with the costs paid out of the much greater savings that are unleashed’.

He added that the proposals would create thousands of jobs and apprenticeships, as well as saving money on bills, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

The Conservatives are understood to be proposing that households would be entitled to £6,500 of funding to improve energy efficiency, which would be repaid through savings on their energy bills.

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, described the move as ‘a big step in the right direction’.

The UKGBC is one of the partners in the Great British Refurb Campaign, alongside WWF UK.

Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF UK, said: ‘The Conservatives have hit the nail on the head by proposing to remove the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements.

‘Ultimately what gives this policy the potential to really deliver carbon savings, is its willingness to tackle the expensive-to-treat homes that require more than cavity wall and loft insulation.’

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