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Companies call for government to invest billions a year on home energy efficiency

A coalition of 20 organisations have written an open letter to the commercial secretary of the treasury asking for energy efficiency in UK homes to be made a ‘national infrastructure priority’.

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The heads of environmental groups, charities, membership organisations and trade organisations have warned Lord Deighton that the UK’s homes are among the ‘coldest and draughtiest in Europe’ resulting in high energy bills and ‘one of the worst records on fuel poverty and preventable winter deaths’. They have asked for the government to commit to a target of retrofitting 1 million homes a year by 2020.

The group, full list at the bottom, argue that the government should direct £3-4 billion a year in capital investment to fund a programme of energy efficiency to transform the UK’s aging housing stock. The group say this investment would address market failures and leverage additional private investment.

The leaders write in the letter: ‘Domestic energy efficiency is one of the most cost effective ways to achieve the government’s three strategic priorities for energy infrastructure: controlling energy bills, tackling climate change and unlocking investment to support economic growth.’

‘No other investment can achieve so much for individual householders and for UK Plc.’

The group has also published a report, A housing stock fit for the future, which sets out the economic benefits for improving home energy efficiency including doubling the number of jobs in the energy efficiency sector to 260,000, reducing the UK’s reliance on imported gas,reducing the number of ‘excess’ winter deaths, reducing energy bills by £300 and lifting nine out of 10 homes out of fuel poverty

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said: ‘Making home energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority – and offering it significant support alongside transport, energy generation or communications projects – would not only cut households’ rocketing energy bills and help tackle climate change, but would create thousands of new jobs and strengthen the UK’s energy security. Government spends £45 billion a year on capital infrastructure investment – our bricks and mortar deserve to be included.’

Full list of organisations signed up to the coalition:

  • Aldersgate Group
  • Association for the Conservation of Energy
  • BioRegional
  • Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency
  • Centre of Refurbishment Excellence
  • Energy Bill Revolution
  • Energy Saving Trust
  • Federation of Master Builders
  • Forum for the Future
  • Friends of the Earth
  • Green Alliance
  • Greenpeace
  • National Energy Action
  • National Energy Foundation
  • National Housing Federation
  • National Insulation Association
  • SHIFT - Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow
  • Sustainable Energy Association
  • UK Green Building Council

To read more about fuel poverty click here.

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