Government plans will fail to cut emissions, report claims

Wednesday, 28 November 2007 12:00 AM

Government initiatives will only achieve half of the required cuts in household emissions by 2020, according to a new report released by Friends of the Earth.

The report, Home Truths - commissioned by Friend of the Earth, the Co-operative Bank and The Big Ask Campaign in response to the government's climate change bill - finds policies designed to tackle emissions from existing homes to be particularly weak.

Some 75 per cent of homes standing in 2020 are already in place, yet government schemes to reduce carbon emissions are heavily focused on new-build homes.

At present the country's 25.8 million homes account for 27 per cent of the country's carbon footprint - up five per cent since the Labour party came to power, and set to rise further without drastic change.

In response, the Home Truths report has developed a comprehensive plan to tackle climate change, which could cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 according to the report's sponsors.

"This report sets out a win-win scenario. It shows we can make huge cuts in emissions from UK housing and we can do this in a way which wipes out fuel poverty and ensures everyone has a warm, comfortable, low-carbon home," said Dr Brenda Boardman, the report's author.

"The government needs to drive this transformation. It needs to provide the political commitment and financial support to turn this report into reality."

The key tenets of the report are:

• Introducing a package of financial incentives: Make it cheaper for householders to cut their energy use and produce their own green energy, through grants, low-interest loans, stamp duty rebates and a reduction in VAT on energy efficiency measures.

• Reforming the energy market: Encourage domestic properties to install zero carbon energy technology to produce their own electricity and set attractive pricing structures to allow homes to sell it to the national network. By this method UK households would be net exporters of electricity, generating up to ten per cent more then they require.

• Eradicating fuel poverty: Local authorities to upgrade the walls, windows and roofs of homes at a cost of £3.3 billion a year for the next nine years - treating 444,000 houses a year at an average cost of £7,500 per house.

• All homes in the UK will be issued with an energy performance certificate (EPC) grading them from A to G. Minimum standards for energy performance will then be introduced and tightened over successive years. Anyone who buys or rents out a house or flat that does not meet the minimum standard will not be allowed to sell or re-let it until it has been upgraded.

By following these steps government spending of £12.9 billion a year for approximately ten years can deliver 80 per cent cuts in carbon emissions.

The changes could create energy savings from UK homes worth £12.3 billion a year, and avoid the dire consequences presented by the Stern Report, which predicts carbon emissions could cost the UK economy over £100 billion a year by 2050.

"As a business we have reduced our own emissions by 90 per cent since 1997, so we welcome this report showing an 80 per cent cut in household emissions is achievable," said Simon Williams, director of social goals at the Co-operative Bank.

"However, in order to realise the vision of the homes of the future set out in the report, significant government intervention is required urgently, starting with a robust climate change bill. It's time for the UK to get its house in order."

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