Experts cautiously welcome pre-pre-Budget report announcement to green existing homes
The government is set to announce the creation of 10,000 jobs insulating public and private homes in the pre-Budget report today.
Some of the increased spending will be used to upgrade social housing to make it more fuel-efficient
Rob Annable, architect for Axis Design, said: "10,000 people sounds like a good start.鈥� Annable's firm, Axis Design, won this year鈥檚 好色先生TV Sustainability award for its Victorian eco-terrace scheme. 鈥淭he biggest challenge is to make sure 10,000 homeowers are willing to get involved in the idea,鈥� Annable continued.
He also had questions about the exact nature of the insulation. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 wall and floor insulation, that鈥檚 quite a big commitment and is going to change the way you feel about the house.鈥�
Reports in the Guardian suggest that the insulation programme was a sop to the green movement. Treasury is said to have squashed a wider 鈥済reen new deal鈥� as espoused by Barack Obama for fear of overspending. The large investment would have encompassed wind farms, solar power and tidal barrages.
The chancellor will deliver the pre-budget report in the House of Commons at around 3pm when he is expected to announce that billions' worth of public construction would be brought forward.
