Gordon Unveils Package

They had built the anticipation up for the last seven days, they had catagorically denounced the option of a winter fuel payment for seven millions households. What could they offer to ensure the poorest people in the United Kingdom this winter were protected from the harsh and quite bitter reality of the soaring fuel costs. A simple package of energy efficiency measures, whilst I had been in favour of these, today's announcement seemed dry and unfulfilling.

• Free cavity wall and loft insulation for pensioners and poor households
• 50% off cost of insulation for all households
• Freeze on this year's bills for half a million poor consumers
• Partial reversal of cut to warm front programme giving free central heating to poorest pensioners
• Cold weather payments to go up from £8.50 a week to £25 a week for pensioners, disabled people and unemployed families with children under five - if temperatures drop below zero for seven consecutive days

After all, before the measures were announced pensioners and poor households could already obtain free insulation measures, as well in my area through the warm homes scheme free or greatly subsidised central heating installation. The freeze on the bills of the poorest customers is welcome, as well as the announcement that people will be out knocking on doors in the most deprived areas of the UK trying to inform them how they can obtain free insulation.



I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this, although I don't know what else could have been done.

But the positive of offering energy saving measures over that of handouts is that if sufficient numbers of people install these measures, demand for energy is likely to decrease, as well as CO2 emissions, if all households that could install cavity wall or roof insulation did, the savings would be equivalent to reducing total UK energy consumption in monetary terms by 0.88%.

All I can say is that if you are entitled to some of the benefits announced today that you take advantage of them, as in the long term insulation will provide huge savings. Contact the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 to find out what you can do today!


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