Residents 'not taking advantage' of efficiency schemes - 22/03/2012

Many homeowners are not taking advantage of a scheme that requires energy suppliers to offer free insulation to help individuals get cheap gas, it has been claimed.

The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target compels the Big Six providers to fit loft and cavity wall insulation to their customers' homes, but the Southern Daily Echo reported take-up of the scheme in Hampshire is falling.

It is up to homeowners to apply for the initiative and figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change reveal the numbers doing this have plummeted recently.

In 2009/10, 5,112 homes in Southampton took up the offer, but 2011/12 is on course to see just 1,857 abodes in the city receive assistance, with similar figures being seen throughout the county.

The CERT scheme is being replaced from this autumn by the government's Green Deal policy, but official projections have warned insulation take-up may fall even further under the new initiative, the publication noted.

Recent research conducted by Knauf Insulation found 45 per cent of homeowners have never thought about improving their efficiency in this area, so the coalition may have work to do to boost interest among consumers.

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