The Conservative Party recently revealed plans for a UK Energy Makeover should they get into power. This nationwide makeover would involve the installation of loft and wall insulation and new energy efficient boilers into every property and although this sounds like a great idea you may be asking how is it going to be paid for? Apparently, the Government are going to lend the gas and electricity companies enough money to complete the upgrades – which are estimated to cost between £1700 and £6000 per home – and the household will be required to pay back the cost in small chunks over the next 25 years! According to the figures released by the Government, the average house would require around £1700 worth of energy efficient improvements and the householders would be expected to pay for this at a rate of around £70 per year. Saying this, the estimations show that the improvements would reduce the average family fuel bill by around £230 per year which will leave the householder £160 in profit. If these figures can be substantiated then the proposed Energy Makeover would benefit everyone however it must be remembered that they are based on the average household and there are plenty of households in the UK that aren’t average. Additional Benefits of the Energy Makeover As well as saving every household money on their fuel bills, the Conservatives list a number of other benefits to their plans, including the creation of thousands of jobs, more competitiveness in the energy supply market and the reduction of the UK’s CO2 emissions by a large percentage. They also mention the fact that the UK will need to train thousands of skilled engineers to cope with the upgrades and this will provide an ongoing stream of skilled tradesmen for years to come – a problem that the country is beginning to struggle with even now. The Conservatives also want the UK to become more reliant on renewable energy sources as opposed to oil and gas imports from countries such as Russia. As an incentive there would be large Government grants available to homes who choose to invest in renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels and there would be a network of free recharging stations for all new electric and hybrid cars. The Future with the Conservatives According to David Cameron the Conservative plans aim to make the UK a low-carbon economy and the proposed makeover will be the start to a carbon-free existence. Environmental experts say that the plans are workable however they will require the co-operation of the entire nation and the major gas and electricity suppliers – many of which aren’t actually UK companies. As I see it, the average household will be happy to pay for the improvements as they will be saving around £160 on their fuel bills each year but what about the elderly or those that live alone and have small fuel bills to start with – will they actually save the £70 per year that they will be required to pay for the improvements? There are a lot of loose ends with the Energy Makeover Plans but hopefully they will be sorted before the Conservatives gain control. Guest Article by Clare Lynock

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