The Conservative Environment Network (CEN), which has the support of 133 Tory MPs, half of the supporting parliamentary party, said its plan could be developed alongside measures to directly help this winter’s fuel costs and it was helping the UK to net zero targets as well as saving people money. CEN’s intervention marks the latest stage in a counter-attack by the environmental Tories, amid signs that the race to replace Boris Johnson could lead to a reversal of green measures and give more weight to the voices of MPs who oppose such policies. Liz Truss, the clear favorite to become the next prime minister, has criticized the installation of solar farms on former farmland and says she supports efforts to extract shale gas by fracking in areas where she has local support. Her rival in the competition, Rishi Sunak, has pledged to tighten the de facto ban on planning permission for new onshore wind projects. The push against green measures has been led by Tory MPs and colleagues from the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, a relatively new body which opposes many environmental policies on the basis of the cost of living and energy security. CEN’s proposals, described by the body as “practical, industry-led solutions that could be rapidly introduced by government”, would cost a total of £9 billion over the next eight years, it said, far less than what it had already commit to help with energy bills. That would include a rapid expansion of an energy industry plan to insulate fuel-poor homes, to do so for 500,000 households this winter and one million a year by April 2023, including a commitment to long-term funding for the program. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. CEN said there are still 7 million homes in the UK without easy-to-install measures such as loft or cavity wall insulation, which could save around £500 a year on bills for people living in a typical semi-detached home. Another element would be a major expansion of a plan to replace gas boilers with heat pumps, installing 775,000 a year by 2025, instead of the planned 90,000. This saves households an average of £225 per year and reduces gas use by 80%. A final recommendation would be to ask energy companies to contact customers with advice on how to reduce the so-called flow temperature of gas boilers so they operate more efficiently, with many operating at unreasonably high temperatures, wasting gas and increase the bills without any extra warmth. Philip Dunne, Ludlow MP and CEN supporter, said there was a need for “urgent action to help households this winter. If we act decisively now, we can insulate hundreds of thousands of fuel-poor homes to permanently reduce energy bills,” he said. “Financial support is only a one-year solution for this winter. Without a new national program starting to fix the UK’s 19 million energy-inefficient homes, families would be left exposed for longer and the taxpayer would be left with a bigger bill. “I urge the next Prime Minister to consider these practical, industry-led proposals to combat the gas crisis this winter.” While much of the focus in the Tory leadership race has been on energy bills and the cost of living, the range of policies to be implemented remain relatively unclear. Sunak has spoken generally about wanting more insulation and has proposed measures to help households with bills, including reducing VAT. Truss said her “first port of call” would be tax cuts, but did not rule out additional aid.
