“Using carbon taxes to drive down energy bills would be a win, win situation for consumers, employment and the environment” said UNISON, the UK’s largest union today. As MPs debate the Energy Bill in the House of Commons (Committee stages 5 and 7 February), UNISON is calling for:
1 Use the income government raises from carbon taxes to provide everyone with a grant for new energy efficient boilers and insulation- cutting bills and helping consumers use less energy
2 Set a clear target to decarbonise the energy supply by 2013. This would help create the certainty that energy companies need to invest in new plant.
UNISON National Officer for Energy, Matt Lay, went on to say:
“The government must recognise the desperate difficulties many households face in trying to pay for rising energy bills. Many people cannot afford to keep warm in this bitter winter weather, and fuel poverty is rising at an alarming rate.
“The government could take positive action today by using the money raised from carbon taxes to invest in a national programme to make homes truly energy efficient.
“Coupled with more certainty around future energy mix, this would create hundreds of thousands of jobs, stimulate economic growth and have a real long-term impact”
Ends
Notes to Editors
UNISON is supporting the Energy Bill Revolution which states ‘Recycling carbon revenue to make homes super-energy efficient could bring 9 out of 10 homes out of fuel poverty. It could also be used to quadruple savings in carbon emissions compared to the Government’s new energy efficiency schemes and create up to 200,000 jobs – exactly what we need to support the UK’s economic recovery.’
