Budget will not help meet carbon emission reductions

According to the energyhelpline website, the Existing Homes Alliance had called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer for £2 billion to be put aside in the Budget to help deliver energy efficiency measures in over 26 million existing homes. However, Alistair Darling, committed just £100 million in his Budget report, according to 24dash.com.

Rather than allocating the £2 billion, which the alliance said would help create 150,000 jobs, whilst improving the energy efficiency of half a million homes, the Chancellor and the government has instead, it seems, chosen in the Budget to focus on the social housing sector.

Nicholas Doyle, founding member of Existing Homes Alliance and head of sustainability at Places for People, said: “This is massively disappointing news and is a massive blow in meeting carbon reduction targets and improving energy efficiency in the country’s 26.2 million existing homes.”

He added that more dramatic action is needed to reduce the carbon output of Britain’s existing housing stock. Installing measures such as insulation, double-glazing and energy-efficient boilers can help to reduce both energy bills and carbon emissions. Check out Hazlemere Windows, energy efficient, energy saving windows, which can save a detached household with gas fired central heating up to £14,200 over a 20 year period if you upgrade from single glazing, along with 40.56 tonnes of CO2 emissions (Pilkington energiKare homeowner cost savings).