Anger as Truss ignores her climate advisers’ call for energy-saving drive
Liz Truss has ignored the government’s own climate advisers in opposing an energy-saving campaign this winter, it has emerged, amid mounting frustration over her resistance to the plan.
The advisory body the Climate Change Committee wrote to the prime minister last month outlining the need for a “comprehensive energy advice service” to reduce demand.
“Public awareness of what can be done to reduce energy use (either in homes or businesses) is too low,” the advisers wrote. “Specific advice on this could help in the near term by increasing awareness of low or zero-cost actions that could reduce wasted energy straight away, such as lowering boiler flow temperatures, and simple draught proofing. Lowering boiler flow temperatures can reduce gas consumption alone by 6-8%.”
However, Truss continues to oppose even a slimmed-down £15m public awareness campaign, understood to have been endorsed by business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg. The business department said there were “no plans for the government to tell the public to reduce usage for the sake of our energy supplies”.
Labour claims an awareness campaign could save households up to £8.4bn. Its figure is based on £300 of savings per household. Domestic bills are now being heavily subsidised by the state via the energy price guarantee introduced by Truss.
Meanwhile, research by the Carbon Brief website shows that UK gas imports could have been cut by 65 terawatt hours if government support for energy efficiency and renewables had continued under David Cameron – a reduction of 13% overall.
Ed Miliband, the shadow climate change secretary, said: “With every decision she makes, Liz Truss is showing an unprecedented blend of zealotry and incompetence. When even Jacob Rees-Mogg appears to
Read more on theguardian.com
