Green taxes make up 20 per cent of household energy bills

Families are being forced to pay an average of £200 a year in taxes on their energy bills to fund Britain’s investment in wind and solar power.

Campaigners last night demanded greater transparency from energy companies over the levies and accused the government of hiding behind suppliers to raise revenues by the back door.

The call comes amid mounting pressure on energy companies for a fresh inquiry into price rises after the latest round of increases led to accusations of profiteering.

Dr Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, said the rising price of fuel was partly caused by Britain’s “stubborn but wrong headed commitment to renewable energy”.

He said: “So called green stealth taxes are already adding 15 to 20 per cent to the average domestic power bill and even more to business users.”
British households spends £608 a year on gas and another £424 on electricity on average. Green taxes make up between £154 and £206 of that bill, said Dr Peiser.

“Despite the growing cost of these taxes, you won’t find any mention of them at all on your gas and electricity bills,’ he said.

“That, of course, suits the Government down to the ground. If it raised the huge sums required to encourage renewable energy and limit carbon emission through general taxation it would make the Government itself very unpopular.

“But by doing it through electricity and gas bills, the Government has cleverly ensure that it’s the power companies that take the blame.”

Under the Climate Change Act, the Government is legally bound to cut Britain’s C02 emissions by 34 per cent by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2025.

To meet its targets the Government is encouraging the building of 10,000 wind turbines. It also wants power companies to install £7 billion worth of smart meters in homes.

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Consumer protection assurances added to Green Deal

04 June 2011

The government has assured the public that consumers will be protected under the Green Deal.

It has launched a Green Deal Code, which includes an advice line that will refer customers to accredited assessors, installers and providers undertaking the green home improvements and allow customers to complain if they need to.

The new Consumer Protection in the Green Deal document also sees the appointment of the UK Accreditation Service, which will ensure assessors and installers adhere to the standards for participating in the Green Deal.

"The Green Deal will be the biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War shifting our outdated draughty homes from the past into the future, so it's vital people can trust it," explained climate change minister Greg Barker.

Additional information on the scheme's plan to help vulnerable people retrofit their home has also been published, as well as details on hard to treat homes.

Each household undertaking the scheme when it launches next year will be able to access up to £10,000 upfront to pay for energy efficiency work and repay the cost through their energy bills.

Posted by Mark Stephens

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Liverpool social landlords join £50bn retrofit scheme

A group of social landlords and four local authorities in Liverpool have launched a joint project to retrofit 100,000 homes. Project Viridis is being co-ordinated by Liverpool Mutual Homes and is estimated to be worth around £50bn to the city's economy. The first stage will be the installation of photovoltaic panels to make the most of the government's Feed-In Tariff scheme. It will be followed by a more comprehensive measures including energy-saving schemes, conservation, outsourcing and power generation.

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France To Ban Fracking

The French Parliament has voted 287-146 to ban hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a crucial part of the shale gas extraction process that activists say is harmful to the environment, according to France24. The bill will be voted on by the Senate on June 1 before it becomes a law.

The bill to ban to fracking, but not shale gas exploration itself, was drafted by France's ruling UMP party and the vote comes after months of protests by environmentalists who are concerned that the process contaminates the water table. Earlier this year, the government granted energy giants exploration permits for work without public consultation, but announced a temporary freeze on shale gas exploration in February.

France could become the first country to ban the controversial practice that involves using 'slick' water a combination of water, chemicals and mud, to fracture the rock with hairline cracks and prop open underground fissures.
Fracking fluids can be fatal. In Louisiana fracking fluid made it to a pasture killing 17 cows at the farm.


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