Millions of families have been urged by a green quango not to heat their homes in the evening to help the Government hit its Net Zero target. The Telegraph has the story.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said people should turn off their radiators at peak times as part of a wider drive to deliver “emissions savings”.
In a document on “behaviour change” the body recommended Britons “pre-heat” their houses in the afternoon when electricity usage is lower.
It said the move would save families money, but critics suggested the real reason was that renewables will not be able to provide enough energy to cope with peak demand.
The advice is contained in the CCC’s sixth “carbon budget” paper, which sets out how the U.K. should reduce its emissions between 2033-37.
In it the quango suggests people with electrically powered heating systems, such as heat pumps, should switch off their radiators in the evening.
“There is significant potential to deliver emissions savings, just by changing the way we use our homes,” the dossier states.
“Where homes are sufficiently well insulated, it is possible to pre-heat ahead of peak times, enabling access to cheaper tariffs which reflect the reduced costs associated with running networks and producing power during off-peak times.”
The green quango said that by 2033 all newly built homes and up to half of those constructed after 1952 should be suitable for such pre-heating.
But critics said the advice was just the latest example of Britons being asked to compromise on their quality of life so the Government can hit climate targets.
Andrew Montford, the director of Net Zero Watch said: “The grid is already creaking, and daft ideas like this show just how much worse it will become.
“It’s clear that renewables are a disaster in the making. We now need political leaders with the courage to admit it.”
Craig Mackinlay, head of the Net Zero Scrutiny group of Tory MPs, added: “It is becoming clear that adherence to judicable Carbon Budgets and edicts coming from the CCC are developing into farce.
“The Climate Change Act 2008 will require amendment to free us from madcap and impractical targets foisted upon the population by long departed politicians.
“This latest advice to freeze ourselves on cold evenings merely shows the truth that the dream of plentiful and cheap renewable energy is a sham.
“I came into politics to improve all aspects of my constituents’ lives, not make them colder and poorer.”
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