Energy Secreary Ed Miliband (Image: Getty)
Tory MPs have accused Labour of axing winter fuel payments without improving household energy efficiency.
They said ministers should set out how Britons can save hundreds of pounds a year by installing insulation
Patrick Spencer MP said: “Labour’s cut to the has left pensioners freezing this winter. It is a cruel cut, funding unnecessary Labour vanity projects like rail nationalisation and GB Energy.
“Labour rightly promised new measures to help people improve the energy efficiency of their homes. But if they are going to take money out of people’s pockets, the least they could do is to deliver on this promise, lowering energy bills and keeping homes warmer for longer. Yet ministers have failed to deliver meaningful policies, leaving not only freezing pensioners at risk, but our entire nation.
“This demonstrates a clear failure to plan for the long term – improving the energy efficiency of our homes will save money and reduce carbon emissions.”
Chancellor axed the winter fuel lifeline for up to 10 million people last year.
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The Express has demanded the Government U-turns on the decision.
Neil Shastri-Hurst MP said: “Cutting the was a cruel and unnecessary attack on pensioners, leaving many struggling to heat their homes.
“With the energy price cap expected to rise once again, I fear this is only just the beginning of pensioners’ pain.
“Given the Government has repeatedly claimed to care for the most vulnerable, it would not be unreasonable to have anticipated they would have a plan to mitigate the pain they are causing this winter. However, sadly, they are unsurprisingly unprepared.
“The Government promised to improve energy efficiency in households across the country. This would have, at least, helped the little money pensioners have left stretch a little further.
“Yet they have failed to deliver this support in time to help them through this winter. It is self-evident that the Government does not think about the implications of its decisions. ”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced plans in September to raise energy efficiency rules for social housing, in a bid to cut fuel bills for tenants and meet climate goals.
He unveiled plans for all social homes in England to achieve an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of at least C by 2030.
The originally planned to force all private landlords to reach the standard by 2028 but this was scrapped by last year, who argued the increased costs could push up rents.
Labour promised to reverse this in its election manifesto, whilst giving private landlords a further two years to reach at least a C rating.
Now the party has announced the requirement to reach level C by 2030 will also apply to councils and housing associations in England.
Sam Payne, of the Conservative Environment Network, said: “Improving household energy efficiency is one of the easiest ways for the government to help people with their energy bills. It gets to the root of one of the main causes of high energy bills – that our homes are the leakiest in Western Europe.
“With the potential for households to save hundreds of pounds per year by installing insulation, the government really should set out plans to help more people invest in energy efficiency. It would be a quick win for the government to extend the VAT exemption on energy-saving materials beyond the current 2027 end date up to at least the end of the current parliament. They should also bring more clean heating technologies, such as heat batteries, within its scope, to widen consumer choice over how they go green.”
Home energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, are key to reducing emissions and tackling high energy bills.
Energy use in homes accounts for around 14% of UK emissions.
The cost for a typical household to install cavity wall and loft insulation is around £3,200 but can reduce energy bills by up to £790 a year, experts have said.