National Window Scrappage Scheme Petition gets response
Earlier this year a National Window Scrappage Petition was launched by the Glass and Glazing Federation on the official Government e-petition site asking for the following:
“Allow for an improvement to the existing housing stock to reduce Carbon and CO2 emissions and cut household energy bills. The Scheme to be open only to companies who professionally install windows with a C Window Energy Rating or above and who responsibility recycle the existing windows that are removed”
The petition saw support from many people and achieved a staggering 4,468 signatures. Since the petition closed people have waited for an official response from the Government which arrived today:
“The Government agrees that energy efficiency has an important part to play if we are to achieve our carbon reduction targets. The benefits of energy efficiency for households are clear: saving money on energy bills, reducing reliance on imported energy and helping householders reduce their carbon emissions. However given the high cost of replacement windows (typically £5,000 to £10,000 for a small home), the marginal improvement in performance, particularly when replacing like-for-like double glazed windows; and given that band C windows will be the minimum standard permitted by building regulations from October 2010, a window scrappage scheme is unlikely to be cost effective on energy efficiency and carbon savings grounds. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from energy efficiency measures and the energy bill savings they can bring. However, we also recognise that the cost to retrofit homes can be substantial – our ‘Green Deal’ will allow consumers to fund the upfront cost out of energy bill savings. It is expected that double glazing will be one of the measures that can be installed under the Green Deal”.To summarise the Government reply it seems apparent that the proposed National Window Scrappage Scheme is not going to happen. It does however seem likely that homeowners maybe able to receive additional funding for energy efficient improvements such as replacement windows through the new Government initiative called the “Green Deal”.
Last month we reported on the several government ideas to improve a homes efficiency. This included details of a speech from Chris Huhme, UK Energy Secretary on the much talked about Green Deal;
“Alongside investment in new energy infrastructure, we need to reduce overall energy demand. So let me now turn to the Green Deal – our way of expanding the energy mix to a fourth resource.
Energy saving is the cheapest way of closing the gap between demand and supply, yet it is the Cinderella of the energy ball. On the near horizon, energy saving will mean smart meters and smart grids that can give consumers control over their appliances – for example ensuring that fridges power down during temporary price surges.
This will take time to develop. But there is also much we can do now. To date we have heard too much talk and too little action.
Britain has on average some of the oldest housing stock in Europe, much of it built in the era of cheap coal – but that’s no excuse. Why have we kept building inefficient homes? We have been locking in waste, which is why my colleague Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, is moving quickly to toughen building standards.
Most of the homes we will use in 2050 have of course already been built. That is why we have big plans for the Green Deal. It will be my department’s flagship bill for this first session. Its aim is a radical overhaul of our existing homes to save energy, carbon and costs.
At the moment, we may as well be burning £50 notes outside our front doors. We use more energy per home than does Sweden. And this waste cannot be ignored, because households account for a quarter of all carbon emissions.
This is another area which can help drive economic recovery. The market is big. There are currently up to 14 million homes in the UK which could benefit from insulation under the Green Deal. We are working on the package for each home, which could unlock tens of billions of spending in the coming years.”
For the full quote please click here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/Energy_Summit/Energy_Summit.aspx
For more information on the Green Deal please click here. This is a link to a document produced by the Government called “Paving the way for a Green Deal: Extending the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target supplier obligation to December 2012: Summary of consultation responses and Government Response”.
Anglian Home Improvements, formerly known as Anglian Windows. Raising the standard in energy efficiency since 1966.
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