Power to the people - promoting local green energy and saving money

Help homes, schools, hospitals and firms across Harrow go green

Local residents across Harrow could find it easier to generate their own green energy under major new plans announced by Conservatives. Policy proposals have been unveiled to promote ‘decentralised energy’ and microgeneration, as part of a strategy to fight climate change, make our energy supply more secure and help consumers save money.
 
The plans would enable small businesses, local schools, hospitals and homes across Harrow to generate low-carbon energy locally through small-scale and eco-friendly means. The announcement comes at a time when more hikes in gas and electricity bills for local households are in prospect.
 
The proposals include promoting scall-scale solar and photovoltaic systems, small wind turbines, biomass generators, micro-hydro and combined heat and power (CHP). The new policy ideas, welcomed by Bob Blackman, Parliamentary Candidate for Harrow East, would seek to:

• Create a new retailing culture in which anyone could walk into a supermarket or showroom and buy a micro-generator in the same way as people now buy white goods and mobile phones.

• Introduce a system of ‘feed-in tariffs’ – this means a price is paid by the energy companies for electricity generated by the low-carbon, local energy source. Consumers would pay no more than at present and, in the long term, they would start making savings on their bills. 

• Promote the take-up of ‘smart meters’ which enable the householder or business user to have a much clearer idea of how much electricity they are producing and how much they are consuming.

 
Bob Blackman  said:
“At a time of rising fuel costs, I believe that more microgeneration in Harrow could play a major role in combating climate change, reducing dependency on imported fuels, and informing people about their own personal use of energy.
 
“Just as we believe in the benefits of decentralising political power – devolving decision-making to local councils, neighbourhoods and individuals – Conservatives are also committed to decentralising power in its literal sense: the generation of electricity. This will help households and firms across Harrow to play their part in tackling climate change.”
 
Notes to Editors
 
PLANS FOR MORE GREEN ENERGY
 
A new policy paper was launched by David Cameron on 6 December 2007.
 
Power to the People: The Decentralised Energy Revolution sets out a way of changing the architecture of Britain’s energy supply. It will enable every small business, local school, hospital and household in the country to generate electricity through microgeneration.
 
A full version of the pamphlet is available at:
http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=141056
 
Conservatives are pledging to:

• Introduce a system of feed-in tariffs, so that a fixed price is paid for all electricity produced from decentralised, low -carbon sources;

• Allow any individual or organisation using an accredited professional to install a certified low carbon generating appliance of below 250kW to be eligible to receive these feed-in tariffs;

• Empower the Secretary of State to set feed-in tariffs for each form of micro-generation, which will be added as credits onto the bill of every micro-generating producer according to the amount of electricity they produce;

• Create a Decentralised Energy Fund, so that the electricity supplier’s net cost in paying the tariff will be met by government;

• Fund the scheme in the short term through the abolition of existing micro-generation grant schemes – with costs over the long term met by the revenues received from the auction of permits for the Emissions Trading Scheme;

• Ensure smart meters are available free of charge to anyone installing micro-generating capacity;

• Work with the financial sector to develop long-term fixed-rate lending schemes to make the purchase of micro-generating equipment simpler and quicker; and

• Change the remit of Ofgem to reduce carbon emissions through the encouragement of decentralised energy.

 
ENDS