Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction) Order 2008

We on this side also welcome the statutory instrument, especially the provisions for microgeneration and fuel poverty, which, given the recent rise in gas prices, will be very necessary for a growing proportion of the population. The order omits to mention boilers, which are the most important generators of carbon in the domestic sector. It talks about insulation, which is a worthy and cost-effective way of keeping the heat in. It talks about cavity wall insulation, which is also needed, as vast numbers of properties do not have it. However, boilers have been neglected in this sphere, which seems rather strange, because boilers emit the carbon in the first place. Inefficient boilers, such as the 4 million G-rated boilers in this country, which account for 75 per cent of the energy produced through water heating and space heating, are an area where improvement could reap vast rewards in terms of carbon. The Climate Change Bill is going through the House at the moment. While microgeneration is being given a degree of support in the order, just replacing G-rated boilers would ensure a much more effective reduction in carbon dioxide. That could be done by using EPCs—another flagship policy of the Government—through the HIPs to look at the state of boilers in every home. EPCs are of course carried out at the point of sale, but that does not have to be the case; many of the energy companies could carry out an EPC for any property in which they wished to install energy efficiency methods. The CERT could then be used towards replacing G-rated boilers. A G-rated boiler has a pilot light. I learnt a great deal about boilers recently, but I did not realise that a pilot light sticks 10 per cent of the energy straight up the chimney, with no benefit to the consumer at all. Removing the 4 million G-rated boilers, with a resulting 10 per cent efficiency gain on each and every one, would be a helpful method of vastly reducing the carbon dioxide. One good thing about the statutory instrument is that it gives Ofgem the flexibility to look at these issues. One of the reasons why I make this point is that, although I know that Ofgem is interested in looking at this and can bring about the changes, I very much hope that there is a mood change within Defra to look at boilers, because the letters that we have received from Ministers until now have questioned the value of replacing G-rated boilers. The big problem with those boilers is that they are so simple that they rarely break down and you can keep them going for ages. I have a G-rated boiler, which I am about to change. However, my gas fitter turned around and said, ““What a fabulous boiler. They’re so easy to maintain, this will go on for ever. They don’t break down. You shouldn’t get rid of this””. Of course that is fairly disastrous in carbon terms. In the area of fuel poverty, many older people will have a G-rated boiler that they will nurse for many decades because of the cost of replacing it. The CERT could be a way of giving a grant towards replacing these boilers, which would vastly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. I therefore very much hope that the Minister can say that he will look flexibly at this and that Defra officials will start doing the work to realise that this is a good thing.