More than 100 energy companies, charities and businesses have joined forces to call for the Prime Minister to tackle the serious fuel poverty crisis facing the UK.
In a letter to David Cameron, Carillion and other members of the Energy Bill Revolution campaign warn that current attempts to tackle fuel poverty are doomed to failure, and that investing funds from carbon taxes to super-insulate the nation’s homes is the only way to solve the problem once and for all.
Although Carillion is very supportive of the Government’s Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation schemes, which come into effect next week, there is a real concern that these initiatives alone are not enough to end fuel hardship in the UK. Around 6 million UK households are affected by fuel poverty and with gas prices set to increase, this figure could rocket to 9 million by 2016.
Led by the Energy Bill Revolution campaign, Carillion and its co-signatories are urging the Government to divert funds raised by the Carbon Tax – an estimated £4bn every year for the next fifteen years – to pay for a programme of super-insulation in homes across the country. This would provide five times more subsidy for insulation measures across the UK without increasing consumer energy bills by a penny – saving the average family £310 a year on energy bills.
Siobonne Brewster, Strategic Development Director of Carillion Energy Services, commented: “We have been strong supporters of the Green Deal and ECO from the beginning, but it is clear that these schemes are only part of the story. The Government’s own projections estimate that ECO will remove up to 250,000 households from fuel poverty by 2023 – yet, this figure represents only five per cent of the current number of fuel poor households. The Energy Bill Revolution have compelling research that shows by redirecting carbon tax into energy efficiency programmes we can eradicate fuel poverty and this is a goal that we fully support.
“At Carillion, we are devoted to driving the green economy forward – for example, we have recently signed a contract with the Birmingham Energy Savers (BES) scheme and as part of this partnership, we have committed to create and sustain at least 360 jobs, and to help 600 people from priority groups into placements, training and jobs. The proposals being made by the Energy Bill Revolution are also incredibly compelling in terms of job creation and economic stimulation and must be considered."
Under the BES scheme, Carillion will work with Birmingham City Council as its exclusive delivery partner to improve the energy and carbon efficiency of up to 60,000 households across the city, together with schools and other non-domestic council properties.
The scheme will give households affordable ways of improving their properties by fitting energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and new boilers under the Green Deal.
