Let’s do more to switch to renewable energy – for owners and tenants.
Over 70% of homes here are owner-occupied. The Council ran well-publicised schemes to encourage owners to take up renewable energy through the Solar Together scheme. My daughter recently installed solar panels and a heat pump, part-funded with a government grant. Her energy bills are now virtually zero, and on sunny days, even recently, she earns money contributing to the national grid. If you’re an owner-occupier, you can probably do this too.
My daughter is lucky. What about tenants? The Council secured £7.9 million funding for insulation and renewables for vulnerable residents – under £2 million a year. Equally poor has been the performance of our housing associations. Guinness – who at least provide the information, trumpet that 1800 houses have renewable and low carbon systems and 52 homes in Crewe got external wall insulation. Excuse me for failing to be impressed by this, they own and manage around 70,000 properties so this is a drop in the ocean. Other councils have driven improvements – Regenda Homes’ work for Wirral for example – so it’s (at best) lack of will leaving our population behind.
In so many ways we continue to make life harder for those with the least. Renewable energy would reduce the bills for so many. Yes, there are upfront costs, but let’s stop funding fossil fuels entirely, and fund an effective domestic renewables programme now!
Do you want to know more about switching to renewables? Macctastic Eco Network are hosting an event on Tuesday 25th March at 7pm in St Michael’s Church called “A beginner’s guide to Retrofit”. Tickets available now. Can’t wait? Or want to know more about Green Party policies more generally, get in touch:
email welcome@cheshireeast.greenparty.org.uk.
Best regards, Amanda Iremonger.