The Energy Bill Revolution is a campaign to make energy bills affordable to all, through the UK government recycling carbon taxes into insulating people’s homes. This will make homes warmer so people have to use less energy to heat them. It would bring nine out of ten fuel-poor households out of fuel poverty, cut carbon emissions and create jobs.
Continue reading
Tag Archives: carbon taxes
Polls indicate need for socially fair, effective green energy policies
Two recent Survation public opinion polls for the Mail on Sunday have generated contradictory data about public support for “green taxes” and other government policies that add charges to people’s energy bills.
Continue reading
Still time for households to apply for an air source heat pump free survey
As previously reported, Blackshawhead Environmental Action Team (BEAT) has been working with British Gas to have heavily-discounted air source heat pumps (ASHPs) installed in local houses which are not connected to mains gas. Finn Jensen of BEAT says,
“The British Gas ASHP offer is not just for Blackshaw Head so if anyone else who is not on mains gas is interested we will forward that to British Gas.”
Extended deadline means there’s still time for a free survey
The deadline for the installation of an air source heat pump with a discount of around £10,000 has now been extended by the government to the end of March 2013. So if you’re off the gas mains and want a free survey of your house to see if it’s suitable and to get a quote for the discounted installation cost (usually around £5-6,000) please email finn.jensen@rocketmail.com with your phone number(s).
Continue reading
Forget the Green Deal – demand an Energy Bill Revolution
The Energy Bill Revolution campaign is urging the government to use the money it gets from carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient – driving down our energy bills forever. And also reducing household carbon emissions and the need for energy.
If you haven’t already signed the Energy Bill Revolution petition, you can do it here.
Continue reading
Support the Energy Bill Revolution
The Energy Bill Revolution is a campaign to make energy bills affordable to all, through the UK government using revenue from carbon taxes to pay for insulating people’s homes. This will make homes warmer, so people have to use less energy to heat them, and pay less on their energy bills. It would bring nine out of ten fuel-poor households out of fuel poverty, cut carbon emissions and create jobs.
Money spent on home insulation saves a lot more money for the NHS
Research in 2008 by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Buildings Research Establishment showed that:
every £1 spent on improving energy efficiency in homes where cold is likely to damage people’s health, saves the NHS £34.19 over 10 years, per 100,000 homes.
I don’t exactly understand that statistic (can someone please explain it?), but it sounds as if using carbon tax revenue to pay for people’s home energy efficiency improvements would save a lot of money that would otherwise be spent on the NHS. So arguing that we can’t afford it because of the need to cut public spending probably isn’t going to wash.
24% of Calderdale homes are fuel poor and there are higher excess winter deaths here than in UK as a whole
The Energy Bill Revolution would be very helpful in Calderdale. Around 24% of Calderdale homes are fuel poor, according to the 2008 Calderdale Private Sector Stock Condition Survey. Fuel poverty damages the health of people living in these fuel-poor homes – through increasing respiratory illnesses, arthritis and risks of elderly people’s falls. It is associated with higher than average excess winter deaths – that is, the greater number of deaths that occur in winter, compared to the normal rate of deaths in the population.
There are two main carbon taxes: the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EUETS) and the carbon floor price, that’s due to start in April 2013. The carbon price floor will establish the rate of fuel duty or climate change levy payable on fossil fuels used to generate electricity. The amount payable will depend on the average carbon content of each type of fossil fuel.
Using the taxes to pay for home insulation and other energy efficiency measures would reduce the energy people use and help cut carbon emissions that way.
The Energy Bill Revolution is supported by by alliance of children’s and older people’s charities, health and disability groups, environment groups, consumer groups, trade unions, businesses, politicians and public figures
Energy Bill Revolution Petition
If you think the UK government should use our carbon tax revenues to pay for home energy efficiency improvements, you can sign a petition here.
Early Day Motion 47
In the last session of Parliament, one of the MPs in the Energy Bill Revolution alliance put forward Early Day Motion (EDM) 2769, which called for Parliament to pass the proposal. 121 MPs signed up to support the EDM. Craig Whitaker didn’t, although there are over 9,000 households in fuel poverty in this constituency and presumably he wants to do something about it.
In the new session of Parliament, an MP has put forward EDM 47 (to replace EDM 2769). This is another chance for Craig Whittaker to do something that will help reduce his constituents’ fuel poverty.
You can email craig.whittaker.mp@parliament.uk and ask him to sign Early Day Motion 49, calling for Parliament to pass Energy Bill Revolution proposal for the UK government to recycle carbon taxes into insulating people’s homes.
Ask Craig Whittaker to sign Early Day Motion 47, calling for Energy Bill Revolution
Please email craig.whittaker.mp@parliament.uk and ask him to sign Early Day Motion 47. This calls for Parliament to pass the Energy Bill Revolution proposal for the UK government to use the revenue from carbon taxes to pay for insulating people’s homes. Over the next 15 years, the government will raise about £4billion/year from the two main carbon taxes – the European Emissions Trading Scheme and the Carbon Floor Price.
Continue reading