Power Generation

UK opposition party outlines energy policy

Leader of the opposition Conservative Party, David Cameron, said his government would inspire consumers to use less when he outlined his vision for the country’s energy policy earlier this week.

In the “post-bureaucratic” age that his party will usher in, he said, the country will face challenges from the cost of the energy we consume, the security of its supply and its affect on the climate.

A Conservative government would introduce financial incentives in the form of feed-in tariffs for those individuals who generation their own energy, he said, as just introduced by the present Government.

He also backed the current Government’s pledge to put a smart meter in every home to help consumers monitor their energy use and see how much they are selling back to the national grid.

In a new move, however, he said that a Conservative government would apply “gentle social pressure” to get consumers to reduce their energy consumption.

“Just as they’re doing in California, we will make each energy bill come with an illustration of how much energy people’s neighbours are using in comparison to their own usage, inspiring them to consume less in competition,” he said.

There is no silver bullet for behaviour change, however, says Joel Hagan, chief executive of smart metering specialist Onzo.

“Changing people’s behaviour is a complex challenge that requires a multi-faceted and nuanced approach, and energy companies may not like it,” he says.

And there will be little progress until the profit motives of energy companies, consumers’ desire to cut costs and governmental targets to reduce emissions are reconciled, he adds.

For further information:
www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2010/02/David_Cameron_From_central_power_to_people_power.aspx
www.onzo.co.uk/

24 February 2010

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