Commenting on the Second Reading debate on the Energy Bill today, Liz Lainé, energy expert at Consumer Focus, said:
‘For this ambitious scheme to deliver results consumers need to have complete faith that it will work for them. The Government still needs to answer essential questions on Green Deal, ensure the right protections are in place and give clear incentives to consumers for taking up the scheme if it is to be a success.
‘One of the biggest concerns that must be addressed is making sure the poorest households living in the coldest homes are reached by energy efficiency help. These vulnerable households won’t be able to afford to take up Green Deal measures. Government must make sure that the social mechanism that replaces current schemes, such as CESP and CERT, is fit for the intended purpose and makes best use of the money taken from consumer bills. ’
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- A document outlining Consumer Focus’s 10 questions for Government -‘Making the Green Deal a fair deal’ can be found here
- There are currently a range of schemes that provide help with energy efficiency, such as CERT, the Carbon Emission Reduction Target; CESP, the Community Energy Saving Programme and the Warm Front scheme
Consumer Focus has also published two recent policy reports on the Green Deal:
- Access for All can be found here. This is based on scenario analysis and additional research undertaken by the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE), The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and the Energy Saving Trust in 2010.
- Green Deal or No Deal can be found here. This draws together lessons for the Green Deal from Consumer Focus’s work across energy and other sectors, with further lessons from energy efficiency programmes overseas.