Ulster Unionist economy spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt, has welcomed today’s energy efficiency initiative from the NI Executive. “Energy Wise” is intended to influence energy use patterns, through the installation of measures including loft insulation, energy saving light bulbs, and behavioural patterns such as switching off appliances when not in use.
The Strangford MLA said: “It is true that there are three elements that contribute to fuel poverty, namely income, the cost of energy, and lack of energy efficient measures. Anything that tackles the third is, of course, welcome, however it is only one leg of a three-legged stool.
“It is not right to say the Executive has no control over income. That is what informs the Ulster Unionist Party’s call for local control over Corporation Tax – taking bold steps that will attract higher paying jobs, which will in itself help raise people out of the fuel poverty trap.
“As to the middle part, it is also a matter of concern that all the recent emphasis has been on the soaring costs of electricity and gas, when the fact is that some 70% of our households are dependent on home heating oil to keep warm, and this sector is totally unregulated. In that context, initiatives like “Energy Wise”, while welcome, are tinkering at the edges. By all means, we should encourage people not to overfill kettles, but what is required now is a total re-think of how we control all the means of energy distribution, and that begins with the Department of Enterprise Trade & Investment re-taking control for energy policy.”
