'Environmental revolution' promised by David Cameron

An "environmental revolution" in energy policy under a Conservative government would save the average household £160 a year from the cost of electricity and gas, David Cameron has promised.

By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 7:43AM GMT 17 Jan 2009

The Conservatives outlined plans to modernise the national grid to deliver power more cheaply, subsidise home insulation projects, and make more use of green technologies including electric cars and off-shore windfarms.
Publishing his party's "Plan for a Low Carbon Economy," Mr Cameron said that changes in the way that Britain generates, distributes and consumes electricity will save families significant amounts of money as well as benefiting the environment.
The centrepiece of the Tory plan is a major investment in the national electricity grid to make it an "electricity internet" for distributing power in the cheapest and most efficient way.
Under the Tory plan, every house would be fitted with a smart meter, allowing households to buy electricity from the network at periods of low usage for the lowest price.
For example, the power to charge household appliances could be bought during the night, when usage is lowest.
The new network and a system of "feed-in tariffs" would also allow those houses fitted with wind turbines and solar panels to sell their excess power into the network and use the revenue to cut their power bills.
The Tories also propose a new household "entitlement" to insulation and other energy efficiency improvements worth up to £6,500. Recipients would pay for the work in increased fuel bills over time, but the Tories said the net saving on power use would more than cover the increase.
Among the other pledges in the Tory energy strategy are: a new national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid cars; allowing producers to use methane from farm and food wastes to power domestic heating gas heating; and new planning laws and financial support for wind and wave power generation in a new network of 'Marine Energy Parks'.
Greater energy efficiency and an increase in UK power generation would cut the average home's power bills by £160 per year, the Tories claimed.
Greg Clark, the Conservative shadow climate change secretary, said: "No longer will we need to be overly dependent on imported fossil fuels from unstable countries.
"Instead our electricity and heating will come from a wider range of more dependable and renewable sources, which will encourage innovative energy sources to be developed. This will help guarantee our energy security, reduce our carbon emissions and do all we can to protect the future."