Millions of UK’s Poorest Face Higher Heating Bills in the Name of Going Green

The world has officially gone mad. As we are grinding into the worst economic slump for a century, simple things like heating bills are going up and up.There are also significant health risks for pensioners and low income families. It is they who are in most need of heating during the colder months. But it is exactly these people who are increasingly struggling to heat their homes.

The concept of Renewable Energy has become a buzzword for energy companies and governments in the past decade. It is meant to be the solution to the problems of our world. And who would argue with the idea of saving some money and saving the planet. With this mantra on their lips, they win votes and build wind farms, supposedly for our benefit.

But there’s something fishy about the way the “green energy” issue is used, exemplified by the recent proposal by UK energy secretary Ed Milliband. The plan is called the “Renewable Heating Incentive”, and aims to construct a large number of wind farms and solar energy facilities to reduce reliance on fast depleting and environmentally unfriendly fossil fuel sources. Now you’d think that the responsibility for paying for these developments would land at the feet of global energy giants – but you’d be wrong. It is going to be the bill payer who has to pay for this! The plan aims to charge a levy to energy providers using fossil fuels. The big friendly energy company, however, is planning on paying for this cost by increasing home gas and electric costs.

Gas prices went up by 59% last year, and electricty by 26%. This meant that millions had to think twice about switching on their portable heaters. Going green has been touted as a way for people struggling to pay their bills to lower their costs. However if this idea is brought in it will harm precisely those who are struggling. Essentially what this will mean is that those with more secure and higher incomes will be the ones who can afford to switch to green energy sources for their homes. But if you can’t, and resort to using fan heaters or oil filled radiators to warm your house when the temperatures drop, you’ll be hit with higher energy bills. The same will be true even if you factor in the low interest loans scheme that is supposedly aimed at making it more affordable for people to go greener. It’s unlikely that a family that is already struggling to pay their gas and electic, not to mention interest on existing debts, will be willing to take on more debt, whetever the interest rate may be. If the introduction of university student loans have taught us anything, its that offering low interest loans only make these schemes more appealing to the middle classes.

I ask you, is that right? Surely it would be much better to force energy corporations to give up a small percentage of their enormous profits to pay for this scheme.  This money could then be used to provide green energy refubishment to those on lower incomes who are struggling to pay the bills, so that their bills can be reduced. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Technorati Tags:: alternative fuel, energy companies, environment, gas prices, green energy, green fuel, heating bills, recession, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, stealth tax, uk government