Bath MP Backs Plans To Insulate 10 Million Homes

Bath MP, Don Foster has welcomed plans to introduce a new Green Homes Bill in the next Parliament to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable heat across the UK.

The Green Homes Bill would build on the success of the policies for warmer homes the Liberal Democrats have delivered in Government.

In just two years more than one million homes have been made more energy efficiency thanks to the Energy Companies Obligation and the Green Deal, in addition to regulations to ban landlords from renting out energy inefficient homes from April 2018 and an ambitious new Fuel Poverty Strategy.

Commenting, Don said: “We need to ensure more people in Bath benefit from permanently warmer homes and cheaper energy bills.

“Through ambitious targets and generous incentives for people who carry out work we can make homes warmer, cheaper and greener.”

Mr Foster, who was Minister for Communities and Local Government in 2013 continued: “I was responsible for the change in Building Regulations to improve home insulation for new build houses.

“This was a solid start but I want us to go further. A Green Homes revolution would deliver 10 million energy efficient homes by 2025.”

The new Bill would ensure these achievements are built on, incentivising people to insulate their homes by offering at least £100 each year off your Council Tax for 10 years, when you significantly upgrade the energy efficiency of your home.

The Bill will also reform the Green Deal ‘pay as you save’ scheme into a new ‘Green Homes Loan Scheme’ which would extend the current scheme to include renewable heat and electricity

Green campaigner and Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Bath, Steve Bradley said: “Lib Dems in Government have a proud record of improving the nation’s leaky housing.

“Energy efficiency is the most important fuel we didn’t know we had and insulating millions of homes will significantly improve the cost of living and quality of life of people here in Bath and across the UK.”