Department of Energy and Climate Change
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New plan to help homes cut emissions starts today
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has outlined Government’s latest measures to help householders save money and energy as he welcomed 10:10 – a new campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has outlined Government’s latest measures to help householders save money and energy as he welcomed 10:10 – a new campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
- Around 90,000 homes in some of the poorest areas in the UK should see an average saving of 20% per year in their emissions through a new community based energy saving scheme which starts today. This amounts to financial savings of around £300 per year off fuel bills.
- In the past year, more than 1.2 million homes have received some form of insulation under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target with enough professional loft insulation installed to stretch from London to Sydney and back. The number of households getting this help through energy companies has been increased, with Government recently increasing the target by 20%.
Responding to the 10:10 campaign, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has confirmed that it is on course to cut its own emissions at its London headquarters by 10% by April 2010 and it will make further reductions through the rest of 2010 and beyond. DECC staff have been encouraged by Ed Miliband to join him in taking up the 10:10 pledge in their homes and lifestyles.
Ed Miliband said:
“As government, we are in the best position to make it as easy as possible for everyone to cut their carbon emissions.
“By signing up to the10:10 campaign, I hope people will be sending a broader message to governments round the world. They need to agree a global deal at Copenhagen that is ambitious in cutting emissions, fair to developing countries and effective in holding countries to their word.
“We will cut emissions in the UK by at least a third by 2020. Concerted action shows the world we are serious about tackling climate change ahead of the crucial climate talks in Copenhagen.”
Government support
Helping householders to make a contribution to cutting 10% in 2010
- A new Community Energy Saving Programme starts today. Around £350 million will be spent by energy companies over the next three years to deliver whole house, whole street energy makeovers concentrating on some of the most vulnerable people in the UK.
- The Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT), an obligation on energy suppliers to promote household carbon reductions is operating at a higher level than ever before, with the target recently increased. In 2010 topping up a loft could contribute around 2% to a 10% saving.
- In 2010, we’ll start trialling “Pay As You Save”. This is a new way of paying for whole house energy retrofits as part of our commitment to treat 7 million homes by 2020.
- From today the EU will be phasing out old fashioned 100W and all pearl light bulbs. Money saving energy efficient ones will replace them.
- The government’s ACT ON CO2 website has lots more energy saving
advice and top tips to help save 10% in 2010, including a carbon
calculator to work out carbon footprints
- www.direct.gov.uk/ActOnCO2
Helping businesses to make a contribution to cutting 10% in 2010
- The Carbon Reduction Commitment will come in to force in 2010 which will affect around 5,000 businesses – including all government departments. It will not only deliver massive carbon savings but businesses taking action will also benefit from lower fuel bills and will yield a benefit to businesses of around £1billion.
- Interest free loans of up to £400,000 are currently available
from the Carbon Trust for small and medium size businesses to
improve on energy efficiency.
Government’s 10:10 commitment
DECC has committed to reducing emissions from its headquarters in London by 10% by April 2010. We will be achieving this through making changes to the heating and air conditioning systems, more energy efficient lighting.
All government departments have signed up to playing their part in achieving the world’s first carbon budgets, which will set the UK on track to reaching our emissions cuts in 2020 and 2050. Each department is already taking steps to reduce emissions - for example, when the Home Office replaces its fleet cars it has committed to selecting the most efficient, and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport is using software which switches off computers during non-working hours.
In Number 10, reductions are also already occurring – for
example, the Downing Street complex has a D rating Display Energy
Certificate for operational energy performance. This is well below
typical energy use for comparable Grade 1 Listed buildings, 50% of
the energy used is from an efficient Combined Heat and Power
plant. Energy efficient light bulbs are used wherever possible in
staterooms, offices and meeting rooms.
Across Government we will be looking at what more can be done
over the coming months.
Notes to Editors
1. CESP will be building on the example of existing area based
schemes, such as the approaches trialled by DECC through the
Community Energy Efficiency Fund, which provided £6.3 million in
seed funding to area based partnerships providing a co-ordinated
package of energy efficiency advice and measures with a focus on
alleviating fuel poverty. This has helped lever in significant
additional funding from a range of Government programmes,
including the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and Warm Front and
delivering carbon and energy savings. One of these successful
projects is ‘Keep Shropshire Warm’ delivered by Marches Energy
Agency in partnership with Shropshire local authorities and the
Shropshire Partnership (http://keepshropshirewarm.org/).
There is a focus on tackling rural fuel poverty with many areas
off the gas mains, and other problems such as solid wall
construction, under-occupied properties and listed buildings.
Funding is used to provide the best package of heating and
insulation measures to secure the biggest impact on fuel bills,
including energy advice and renewables where appropriate. The self
sustaining partnership has helped deliver assistance to over 6000
households in its first year, with more than 5000 of these
receiving measures.
Contacts:
Department of Energy and Climate Change
nds.decc@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Philippa Heap
Phone: 0300 068 5218
philippa.heap@decc.gsi.gov.uk
