Green energy measures saving households £1,000 a year – analysis
Energy efficiency measures have already saved the average British household about £1,000 a year in energy bills, and further insulation and home improvements could halve future bills, analysis has shown.
But the future savings are unlikely to be realised unless the government focuses swiftly on insulation, as the savings to date have come largely from efficiency improvements in electrical appliances and boilers, which will not be repeated.
The energy price cap is forecast to rise to £2,000 for a typical household in April, owing to the gas crisis, from about £1,300 today. But average household energy bills would be £3,000 a year if it were not for a range of regulatory measures that have brought down energy use in the last two decades, according to the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), an analyst organisation.
Jan Rosenow, director of European programmes at RAP, said the analysis showed the failures of the government in the past decade to take action that would have staved off much of the current energy price crisis. “If the government had acted, we could have had a properly funded programme that would have reduced greenhouse gases and energy bills,” he said.
Electrical appliances such as lightbulbs, fridges and washing machines now use much less power than 20 years ago, owing to EU directives. A 2005 UK government regulation mandating the use of condensing boilers has brought down average gas use significantly.
Energy consumption overall has declined by 16% since 2000 despite a 15% increase in the number of homes, the average home being 10% larger and the rise in appliance ownership, the RAP said.
Insulation, double glazing and similar home upgrades have also somewhat reduced energy use, according to Rosenow, but by far
Read more on theguardian.com
