There is a third way to get our energy bills down and that鈥檚 to take the shackles off ECO
The recent rises in energy costs, while not un-expected (expect bills to continue to rise by 8-10% a year for at least the next seven years), have stirred much political reaction from price freezes to fashion advice.
If the energy companies assertions are to be believed then 10% of the cost of energy is due to 鈥済overnment led green programmes鈥�, where the highest percentage increase of 15% have been seen. This is code for suggesting that the ECO (Energy Company Obligation) programme is far more expensive than its predecessor, CESP and CERT.
These are the programmes that have provided all that free and discounted loft and cavity wall insulation but have become far more complex since the start of the year. They have now moved away from the 鈥渆asier鈥� measures of loft and cavity insulation on to 鈥渉ard to treat鈥� measures such as solid wall insulation.
There is a third way to reducing our energy bills
They have also become much stricter in their targeting aiming at those groups with greater propensity to be in fuel poverty.
These two features combined together mean that it has become much more expensive to run and to implement. This is not because we have completed all the 鈥渆asy to treat鈥� properties, as the levels of un-decent homes in the private rented sector shows, it is because someone in government thought they should tighten the rules and make it more difficult on the energy companies.
There is a third way to reducing our energy bills. That is to focus on using the obligations on the energy companies to give the maximum carbon reduction for the lowest cost.
Let鈥檚 remove the raft of complex rules on what measures and who can benefit (albeit some sensible limits of restricting to domestic properties or those building occupied by charities and perhaps not to higher rate tax payer could be wise). The result should be lower energy bills of around 2-3% (if the energy companies pass this on to consumers) and greater carbon reduction and therefore energy reduction for a wider range of people.
It may also help the construction industry in a greater volume of insulation project happening quicker as they are less complex to find and implement.
Matt Fulford is the director of Inspired Efficiency
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