Community Housing Cymru responds to UK Government ECO Consultation
Community Housing Cymru (CHC) has today (Wednesday, April 16) responded to the UK Government’s consultation on the Future of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).
CHC is disappointed and concerned about the changes being considered in the consultation to ECO, the UK Government’s main energy efficiency programme.
CHC is particularly concerned with the proposed cuts to its main programme, CERO (Carbon Emissions Reduction Obligation), and proposals to only target 100,000 solid wall properties by 2017.
CHC’s Energy and Sustainability Officer Tomos Davies said: “The 100,000 solid wall insulation target is very unambitious considering the high level of households living in hard to treat homes and in fuel poverty in Wales and the rest of the UK.
“Recent statistics published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that more than 31,809 energy efficiency measures were installed in homes throughout Wales during 2013 (1). While CHC welcomes the figures, we are greatly concerned that the proposed cuts to the ECO will negatively affect the future funding of energy efficiency measures in Wales.
“Tenants and homeowners in Wales already in fuel poverty and economic hardship will suffer further due to changes to ECO. As a consequence to changes, more tenants across Wales will remain in fuel poverty and live in hard to treat homes.
“We call on the UK Government to maintain ECO funding and the Welsh Government to use European Union funds to maintain its investment in energy efficiency in Wales.”