Greens step up calls for every home to have free insulation

Published Date: 05 January 2010
By Joe Quinn
GREEN campaigners have demanded free loft insulation for every home in Scotland.
Policymakers from the World Wild Life Fund Scotland said the target should be included in a "bold" package of measures in order to make sure Scottish Government climate change targets are reached.WWF Scotland said urgent action was needed to achieve the government's target of a 42 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020. On the government's own figures, current policies would reach only a 9 per cent reduction by then, WWF said.WWF Scotland senior policy officer Elizabeth Leighton said: "Home energy use accounts for over a third of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions, so if we are to meet the targets, the Scottish Government must act urgently to make all Scottish homes low- carbon."The environmentalist group is calling for free loft and cavity-wall insulation for everyone and "attractive and accessible" financial packages for more expensive measures.It also wants house-by-house eco-refurbishment, across Scotland, led by local councils, on top of existing fuel poverty programmes, plus a commitment to minimum energy-efficiency standards for private housing within five years.The organisation said the insulation measures will cost £544 million: £388m for lofts and £156m for cavity-walls.Ms Leighton said: "The price tag sounds massive, but it would be spread over a decade and the cash will come from mix of sources, including energy companies, householders and the public purse."We would be able to realise economies of scale and as a result the total cost could be much less."A significant part of the investment would be recouped by savings in energy bills and associated economic and health benefits."