In August I wrote here about the government’s pre-announced ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040, and how it could turn out to be a hostage to fortune if the necessary technology fails to be developed. Today, in its Clean Growth Strategy, the government announces another dubious target: insulating a million of the leakiest homes with the aid of £3.6 billion raised through the Energy Company Obligation – which is a levy on all energy customers’ bills.
The proposal seems to work on the assumption that it is possible to insulate an old property, bringing it close to the insulation standards of a new home, at an average cost of £3,600 per home. That is hopeful, to say the least. It is possible to improve the energy performance of properties with cavity walls for something like that sum.
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