Cheap energy threatened by need to highlight environmental concerns - 27/01/2009
Cheap energy may be threatened by a need to highlight the impact of heat loss on the wider environment, reports the BBC.
Nearly half of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions result from domestic households and the situation is made worse by the fact that British homes are among the least insulated in the whole of Europe.
The government and energy suppliers are under pressure to maintain cheap energy prices so that the country's low-income households can afford it, but at the same time many experts believe that prices may have to rise if the environmental impact is to be reflected.
Rises in the cost of energy could be one of the best ways to encourage people to install insulation in their homes, which would both reduce the impact of price hikes and substantially reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.
Gordon Brown recently drew criticism for favouring a push towards energy efficiency over imposing a windfall tax on energy suppliers.
Price rises from energy suppliers last year are thought to have pushed the number of fuel poor households beyond the five million mark.
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