黑洞社区

The chancellor yesterday announced between 拢300m and 拢400m of money, either new or brought forward, to improve energy efficiency in existing building stock.

Some 拢100m was promised to insulate 150,000 houses through the Decent Homes programme. Another 拢100m will be put towards increasing the energy efficiency of social housing as part of the 拢600m new housing package.

The Carbon Trust will have 拢100m more to play with in offering low-cost loans and advice to small or medium enterprises (SMEs). It will also have 拢65m of loans for public sector buildings to install energy-efficiency measures, supporting 3,000 projects.

But the figure fell far short of the comprehensive fiscal strategy for refurbishment that a broad swathe of the industry was seeking to reduce carbon emissions from buildings while creating jobs.

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green 黑洞社区 Council (UK-GBC) called the Budget a 鈥渨asted opportunity to map a truly low-carbon route of the recession鈥�.

a wasted opportunity to map a truly low-carbon route of the recession

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green 黑洞社区 Council

He said: 鈥淢ore could have been done to really make green refurbishment affordable and attractive to homeowners, businesses and the public sector.鈥�

Jenny Holland from the UK Association for the Conservation of Energy (UK-ACE) said the government had 鈥渇ailed to incentivise hard-pressed homeowners to save鈥�.

She said: 鈥淭here's a relatively small sum, some 拢200m for social housing and also loans for public sector buildings, but nothing similar for the residential sector like what they have in Germany, where it has already delivered big savings.鈥�

Holland added she was 鈥�99.9% sure鈥� that she had tracked the re-announcements, but added: 鈥淚t's always very difficult for those of us who crawl all over these things to discern immediately or even for some time what is new in a Budget announcement. This in itself is disappointing.鈥�