CBI calls for greater domestic and business energy efficiency - 01/03/2010

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called on the government to take greater action to encourage domestic and business energy efficiency.

Dr Neil Bentley, director of business environment at the CBI, said the government must incentivise consumers to make energy efficient choices and provide the right framework to allow businesses to develop new products and services.

The proposals, which are outlined in a new CBI report entitled Tackling Climate Change Closer to Home, also include a call for council tax rebates for householders who improve their cheap energy efficiency and an expansion of the boiler scrappage scheme to domestic white goods.

Ministers were also called on to make energy-efficient driving a compulsory part of the driving test in order to cut transport emissions.

"Making energy-efficient driving techniques a mandatory part of the test will make a significant contribution to changing the next generation of motorists' behaviour and to cutting transport emissions," Dr Bentley said.

Requiring learners to demonstrate that they can drive smoothly and adopt energy-efficient driving techniques would result in fuel savings of five to ten per cent or between £200 and £250 a year, the report said.

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