Insulation installations fall by a third

A report to Parliament has found that 2010 saw a 30% drop in the installation of loft and cavity wall insulation.

The Committee for Climate Change wants the Government to commit to ambitious targets to insulate all lofts and cavity walls by 2015, and 2 million solid walls by 2020 as part of the Green Deal. And it thinks that energy companies should be required to deliver these targets or equivalent emissions reductions under the proposed Energy Company Obligation.

The report also found, not surprisingly, that carbon emissions increased by 3% in 2010; even after adjusting for the extra-cold weather, emissions were broadly flat, rather than reducing by 3% each year as targeted.

In the UK, 10m (43%) of all lofts and 8m houses with cavity walls (42%) remain uninsulated.

There was some better news – an increase in the replacement of older, more inefficent boilers, thanks to the boiler scrappage schemes and a reduction in emissions from new cars.

Chair of the CCC, Lord Adair Turner said: “The step change that we have previously highlighted has not yet been achieved. Although we can meet the first carbon budget, this is mainly due to the recession. It is crucial that Government sets out detailed policies to support power sector decarbonisation and energy efficiency in homes and businesses. The successful implementation of these policies will determine our ability to meet carbon budgets”