A coalition of UK trade unions have called on the Labour Party to build “an ambitious domestic energy efficiency programme” in order to help create jobs, cut bills and slash carbon emissions.
Eight of the UK’s largest trade unions have written an open letter to Ed Miliband calling for a focus on energy efficiency. The coalition of unions claims that a more ambitious approach to energy efficiency could see consumers save between £300 and £600 a year.
Specifically, the unions are calling for:
- A strategy to bring all UK homes up to Energy Performance Certificate “B and C”
- Grants for energy efficient measures, capped at £10,000, to bring all six million low incomes homes to Band C by 2025, and at least two million homes to Band C by 2020
- A zero interest rate for energy efficiency loans for those able to pay
- A street by street delivery programme, with local authorities taking a leading role
Commenting on the unions’ recommendations, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The government’s Green Deal has failed miserably. It is a national tragedy that five million homes are languishing in fuel poverty because of poorly insulated homes, and it is these households that are the least well prepared to absorb future increases in energy prices.
“What we desperately need is a strategy that will address the UK’s energy crisis by eliminating the need for large scale fracking and bring millions of people in from the cold.”
The unions believe that if a government adopted its proposals, the UK would find it easier to meet its legally-binding carbon emission targets as well as create over 100,000 skilled jobs in the process.
