A green transformation of Britain’s homes will take place over the next decade – making them more comfortable, warmer and cheaper to run – under new plans set out by the Government today.
With around one quarter of UK emissions coming from energy used in homes the Warm Homes, Greener Homes Strategy is aimed at cutting emissions from the UK’s homes by 29% by 2020.
The new strategy will help people make smarter use of energy in homes, making it easier to take action and reduce bills. Installing some technologies, such as solid wall insulation, could see energy bills cut by £380 a year (average between 2013 and 2020).
The new strategy will also be good for jobs, with up to 65,000 jobs required in the green homes industry as a result, for example installing and manufacturing energy saving measures or providing home energy advice. The strategy will be implemented in a three stage plan:
* To insulate 6 million homes by the end of 2011
* To have insulated all practical lofts and cavity walls by 2015
* To have offered up to 7 million eco upgrades by 2020; all homes to have smart meters.
The main elements of the Warm Homes, Greener Homes Strategy include:
* Legislating to allow new ‘pay as you save’ green loans to be tied to the property, which will avoid the up-front cost of eco upgrades
* Help those in private rented accommodation whose landlords have little incentive to take action and who endure poorly insulated and cold accommodation.
* Building on the Local Carbon Framework pilots announced by Communities Secretary John Denham in December, which are a new approach for local authorities to set targets and put in place plans to reduce carbon emissions.
* New set of standards for workmanship and products to protect consumers from the threat of cowboy eco-builders and dodgy products
* A new network of eco show homes to demonstrate the range of money saving and money generating technology available
* Proposals to overhaul the scope of Energy Performance Certificates, to give householders a better understanding of what they can do to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, including an online modelling system so homeowners can do a virtual green makeover before taking action.
The ‘Green Homes, Warmer Homes Home Energy Management Strategy’ can be found on the Household Energy Management Strategy page of the DECC website (LINK)
Insulate Today is managed by Behaviour Change. The Energy Saving Trust will be providing expert advice and support to the project. www.behaviourchange.org.uk
