Reasonable intervention or shattering sustainability? Reaction to DECC’s new policy keeps rolling in

DECC has cut low carbon subsidies and axed the Green Deal, with more change to come following nationwide consultation. What’s the feedback?

Recent DECC moves have sharpened focus on the UK’s new low carbon and business efficiency stance. Comments are now rolling in. What’s the overall sentiment?

The following thoughts are taken from the UK’s key environmental discussion platforms.

The Guardian

“The discontinuation of solar subsidies will save customers a trivial amount off their annual energy bills, but will simultaneously devastate a fast-growing, but still young, sustainable energy sector.

“This is stupidly short sighted of the chancellor.”

Dr David Lowry
Senior research fellow, Institute for Resource and Security Studies, Cambridge, Mass, USA

“The green deal needed fundamental adjustments. Its monumental bureaucracy inflates the price of installations, with a minimum of nine bodies between the householder and the installer.

“Altogether, the cost of most energy efficiency measures would not be covered by the savings that the measures provided; which is the model for the pay-as-you-save green deal.

“Why did the government not go for 0% loans administered through local authorities? Local authorities ran just such schemes for community buildings, with revolving money loaned and repaid through Salix funding.”

Dr Sue Roberts
Wallingford, Oxfordshire

“Removing subsidies from low carbon energy sources is said to be to keep bills down. If this is the reason, perhaps the government will also remove recent additional subsidies for fracking and nuclear energy.”

Gill Westcott
Exeter

Business Green

“The low carbon transition must be as low cost as possible. It is quite right that a new government reviews the policies in place to see where costs can be saved.

“Indeed, IPPR have undertaken our own review and identified that huge potential savings could be found in the construction of new nuclear, in offshore wind, and in the capacity market.

“But rather than tackling these big-ticket options the government have cut the schemes that have a direct impact in reducing people’s bills.”

Jimmy Aldridge
Research Fellow at IPPR

“Leaving aside concerns about the substance of the consultation, we are concerned that the process adopted to consult, in particular the period to respond to the consultation is unfair, contrary to government’s own guidelines concerning consultation and potentially in breach of your legal duties in administrative law.”

Jake White
Friends of the Earth’s legal advisor

At Content Coms, we’re committed to growing useful dialogue; helping all firms in UK low carbon and energy efficiency deliver economic and environmental benefit.

We’d love to know what you think about DECC’s recent changes. Send us your thoughts here
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