12 March 2008

The Budget - Fuel Poverty And Renewable Heat

Alistair Darling failed to respond to the three main measures that National Energy Action called for, in the run-up to the Budget statement which included:

- extra resources for the Government’s Warm Front scheme which provides grants for energy efficiency and heating measures

- an extension of the winter fuel payment to include not just pensioners over 60, but also many low-income families with children under five, or household members who are disabled or chronically ill

- a mechanism to provide cheaper energy to low-income households through a statutory duty on energy suppliers to offer a genuine social tariff to be included in the Energy Bill currently before Parliament
A one-off increase in the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners will not insulate them (see what I've done there) from the rising cost of fossil fuels over the next two decades.

We need to broaden the debate from solely renewable energy, to renewable forms of heat.

Year-on-year, we need to have more heating fuel sold in the UK that is sourced from renewable resources, so that less fossil fuels, such as coal, are used for heat.

The government is aware of renewable heat, it's just not investing enough in it.

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