Davey hails energy efficiency potential in first major speech
Newly appointed Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey will today provide new details on the government's promised Energy Efficiency Deployment Office (EEDO) at a meeting with industry leaders.
In his first set-piece speech since taking up the role of Energy and Climate Change Secretary last week, Davey will tell an audience at the The John Lewis Partnerships' store on Sloane Square, London that energy efficiency initiatives will be central to his efforts to slash carbon emissions.
Describing himself as "hugely enthusiastic about energy efficiency", Davey will argue that energy efficiency improvements represent "the cheapest way of cutting carbon - and cutting bills for consumers".
He will also outline how the proposed EEDO will create a "centre of expertise, challenging our work and making energy efficiency real and relevant to people's everyday lives".
"Two out of three consumers think their home is wasting energy, but only one in three is going to do anything about it," he will say. "That has to change. We need to get out there and show people what energy efficiency can really do for them."
The government has faced growing criticism from green groups and businesses over its proposed energy efficiency initiatives.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is working towards the launch of the government's high profile Green Deal financing scheme in October, which promises to remove upfront costs for domestic and office energy efficiency improvements.
However, the scheme has been criticised by some green groups who fear that the current proposals mean that it is unlikely to attract widespread take up.
Pressure on the government to improve domestic energy efficiency also cranked up a notch yesterday, when official figures revealed that the main driver behind an increase in carbon emissions of over three per cent last year was the surge in residential energy demand that resulted from last year's cold winter.
Davey will today underline his commitment to the Green Deal, which according to officials will be supported by a range of incentives designed to drive take up.
"The Green Deal will play a huge part in this work and will also support jobs in the insulation and construction industries - as many as 65,000 right across the country by 2015," he will say. "It can help us deliver a fairer, greener economy. And help us get young people back into work - or into work for the first time.
"The UK has some of the most inefficient housing stock in the EU. But getting this right means as a nation we make energy savings over the next decade equivalent to two nuclear power stations while making everyone's homes warmer and cheaper to run."
Source: Business Green
