Homes 'should generate energy'
Thursday, 06 Dec 2007 15:53
Homes should be given help to create their own renewable energy, the Conservatives say
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Homeowners should generate their own energy from renewable sources, David Cameron said today as he set out Conservative policy on the environment.
In a speech to Greenpeace, Mr Cameron said encouraging individuals and businesses to generate their own electricity would have an overall effect of making "Britain greener".
"I want Britain to adopt micro-generation: small providers, including homes and businesses, producing energy for their own use, using a variety of methods from combined heat and power, to wind to solar photovoltaic power," he explained.
It should be made easier, the Conservative leader said, for schools, hospitals, homes, community groups and businesses to install micro-generators.
Smart meters should also be placed in homes so that people can monitor how much energy they are using.
"Once people start generating their own electricity, they will become far more conscious of the way in which they use it - they will become more responsible about energy use and their own environmental impact," he commented.
As well as helping the environment, Mr Cameron said decentralising energy production would make the UK "more secure and less vulnerable" and could "save us billions".
Today's speech comes ahead of policies to be outlined by the Conservatives on how to make the UK a low carbon economy as the political agenda increasingly shifts towards environmentally-friendly policies.
The government has pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050 and world leaders are currently meeting in Bali for United Nation talks on how to reduce emissions and climate change after the Kyoto treaty expires in 2012.