H/T The Englishman. It seems that Ed Miliband’s inspectors will be knocking on doors in the near future.
Teams of energy advisers will visit every home in the country over the next two decades in an effort to make all the buildings in Britain carbon neutral.
Another day, another attempt to tell us what to do.
The mass energy audits will be part of the biggest overhaul of the housing stock since switching to gas central heating forty years ago.
While this may be okay for council owned stock, for privately owned property, it is none of their business. If they want to put a leaflet through the door and let people contact them for information, then fine, I have no great concerns about it. I do, however, have huge objections to unsolicited callers – it doesn’t matter what they are selling (and selling is what these people are doing) I object to them invading my space to do so.
“The Great British Refurb” will fit every home in need of insulation in the roof or walls by 2015. By 2030 every home will be offered a “whole house” green refurbishment, including fitting renewable heat technologies like ground source heat pumps and solar panels.
Before leaving Blighty I used to get calls from folk trying to sell me insulation. It would start with cavity wall insulation. As my house didn’t have a cavity wall, that one fell through the floor. Then they moved onto loft insulation. The loft is boarded out. That was usually the end of the conversation. However, even if I did have cavity walls, I wouldn’t put insulation into it – this is a quick way of causing condensation.
I wonder what will happen when my tenant points out that the house is rented? Will they seek to contact me and try to get me to put in double glazing (not necessary – the windows are sound and the cost benefit of replacement doesn’t stack up), solar panels or a ground source heat pump?
Anyway, how is all of this going to be paid for?
Loans would then be made available to pay for the new technologies, that can cost thousands of pounds.
Oh, great. A population drowning in debt is to be encouraged to take out more. I, for one, have no intention of doing anything of the sort. When a window needs replacing, I’ll fit a double glazed unit – and not before. As for the other stuff; forget it. The cost benefit doesn’t stack up. Solar panels that cost a few hundred may be worth the investment, a loan for thousands is simply not on and I will not comply.
It is not yet decided how the massive programme will be funded but it is expected a large amount of money will come from a levy on energy companies that will ultimately be passed onto consumers.
Well, well, well, quelle surprise. Didn’t expect that one, did you?
An innovative “pay as you save” scheme will link any loan for home improvements to the house rather than the person so that when a family move the repayment passes to the next owner. This would mean people are more willing to invest in expensive technologies like a wood chip boiler.
No, it does not. It is still a debt I am unwilling to take on, so I will not and I would not buy a property that came with a millstone of debt attached to it.
“We cannot afford not to act,” he said.
Prove it.
Every home must be able to access the help and technology it needs, whether it be the installation of a ground or air source heat pump, solar heating, solid wall insulation, or access to a district heating scheme.
Tell you what, Ed, you keep your nose out of my business and I’ll make the best decisions for my property based on need and cost benefit analysis, okay?
The Local Government Association said consumers should not have to pay.
How naive are these people? Of course the consumer pays. They always do.
They’re maniacs. No one would buy a house that entailed taking on debt — other than the mortgage. You’d have to be an idiot. Or maybe just a Labour supporter.
“You’d have to be an idiot. Or maybe just a Labour supporter.”
Or maybe in a few years you will find that ALL houses have this sort of thing attached to them.
Anyone betting against?
Just three thoughts:
1. The consumer will pay either as a householder or indirectly – at enormous expense – as taxpayer or, more likely, as both.
2. This will be “encouraged” by a “climate change” discount (or absence of surcharge) on council tax bills.
3. The Conservatives will do exactly the same – I bet there is no resistance from the “opposition” to this policy drivel.
Good grief, you land dwellers. How much more is it going to take before you’ve had enough? Buy a narrow boat. Any ‘energy advisers’ on my property will be trying to solve the singular problem of getting him/herself out of the canal with a broken nose. No CCTV down here, my son.
I’m not that interested in all that ‘carbon neutral’ bollocks either but I can see a reason to equip my house so that I have some autonomy from the systems that currently feed it. Think of a house as a patient in an intensive care ward – it is being being kept alive by the tubes that feed it power, water and gas.
In the future I don’t see that these are going to suddenly become more plentiful or supply will become more reliable or cheaper – so it is my responsibility to make my home less reliant on others.
The systems and technology exists now to do this – solar water heating and photovoltaic panels are mature and suitable but I need to make the place even more independent. Accumulator tanks (thermal stores) allow the heat generated by the solar panels to be used efficiently in heating and making hot water and batteries powered by photovoltaic cells would keep heating pumps going and low voltage lighting would allow some ‘normal’ life to continue in a power outage. Add some underground rain water collection tank to provide water to flush toilets, fill washing machines and provide ‘outside’ water (I know that you can drink the stuff but there will be a huge problem getting that sort of system past the powers-that-be) and a lot of metered water consumption will be reduced.
I’ll need to make sure my house is well insulated to avoid the need to spend too much energy (effort and money) heating it – naturally I’d have a wood burning stove as they can provide heat and cooking facilities as well as heat the water in the accumulator and I’d certainly look at the ‘whole house’ filtration and heat recovery systems as well.
This would all be in order to provide me with a comfortable and cheaper life in the future. And I don’t see that there is a reason not to do that!
I have no problems with any of your points, Voyager – independence suits me, too. What I am objecting to here is the government thinking that it is any of its damned business; and door to door salesmen invading privacy, something I abhor. You used a crucial phrase there; “my responsibility” – quite.
I also think that encouraging people to take on debt is irresponsible and tying debt to a property to be passed on is insanity – no reasonable person would by a property with a debt attached.
I did look briefly at solar energy down here in the Languedoc as we could become pretty much energy independent. The cost is still far too high to make it viable.
Voyager
Good luck to you as long as you don’t expect me – through my taxes – to contribute to your independence ambitions.