I passionately care about the environment and want clean air and clean bathing water, and we can achieve these objectives in a strategic and affordable way.
I do not support the Westminster Net-Zero Plan as it is unaffordable now, and the technology is not yet ready. There is NO CLIMATE CRISIS, as over 1,700 eminent scientists have proven.
We have implemented Green initiatives in our property as the business case is sound, but I still have these issues:
- The Net-Zero Plan will make us Net-Poorer
- Criminal Charges for Net-Zero failure
- Our Jobs are being exported overseas
- Green subsidies should cease
- Wait for nuclear fusion
- The flawed Government Heat Pump Scheme
1. The Net-Zero Plan will make us Net-Poorer
While Net-Zero is a desirable objective, it will be impossible for the UK to achieve this status until the UK is self-sufficient in energy. The plan of the Conservatives, Labour, LibDems, and Greens to ban electric vehicles from 2030 and ban gas boilers from new houses makes no sense while there are no alternatives.
It is Reform UK policy and strategy to reduce UK emissions by 80% by 2050, supporting the Paris Accord CO2 targets. China has 1,118 coal-fired power stations; the UK has 2 coal-fired power stations that are due for closure in 2025. Why is this Government jeopardising our energy security by insisting on the closure of our coal-fired power stations when it will have an immaterial impact on worldwide carbon emissions?
The effect of Government policy is to make electric-car motoring unaffordable as the cars cost significantly more than petrol cars, while they are concurrently failing to ensure sufficient generating capacity is available to provide electrical power for electric vehicles and heat pumps and all electric appliances in houses. The Government drive for Net-Zero will make us all Net-Poorer.
2. Criminal Charges for Net-Zero failure
This Government is proposing that Property owners who don’t comply with new energy rules may face prison and fines of up to £15,000. This legislation provides for “the creation of criminal offences” where there is “non-compliance with a requirement imposed by or under energy performance regulations”. People could also be prosecuted for “provision of false information” about energy efficiency.
I absolutely oppose what the Government is thinking on this matter and in particular this legislation.
3. Our Jobs are being exported overseas
The high cost of energy in the UK is forcing companies to manufacture overseas, and with that goes UK jobs. This table shows the electricity cost for households in December 2022, and shows the cost of energy in China is 1/7 of that in the UK.
Energy prices in the USA are 1/3 of that in the UK. We must bring down the cost of energy in the UK by using the freely available shale gas.
By extracting and using shale gas, we can avoid the unnecessary, compulsory, and costly conversion of household gas boilers to heat pumps while at the same time encouraging on-shoring of manufacturing back into the UK.
I, therefore, do not support the Westminster Net-Zero Plan that is making us all net poorer whilst creating more emissions overall by moving emissions overseas.
Net Zero adds massive extra costs to consumers and businesses and sends hundreds of thousands of British jobs to China and elsewhere, to allow those countries to add-value, when we should be.
4. Green subsidies should cease
Whenever a new technology becomes available, initial production costs are high, and therefore I fully support initial subsidies like the Feed-In-Tariff scheme that encouraged domestic users to install solar panels in the early 2010s.
In August 2021, according to OFGEM 25.5% of our electricity bills was for "Environmental and social obligation costs". This means that a 33% surcharge was added to our bills. These energy surcharges were implemented by the Conservatives in 2012.
Green surcharges and subsidies should cease; the operators of wood pellet burners, wind farms, solar farms, and other renewable generation facilities should now be able to negotiate directly with the National Grid for electrical supply contracts without subsidies paid for by the taxpayer.
5. Wait for nuclear fusion
First, let us understand the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Fission is the splitting of a heavy, unstable nucleus into two lighter nuclei, and fusion is the process where two light nuclei combine releasing vast amounts of energy. Nuclear fission is the process in nuclear power stations; Nuclear fusion is the process that drives the sun.
Fusion offers an appealing opportunity since fusion creates less radioactive material than fission and has a nearly unlimited fuel supply; however, nuclear fusion reactors are not yet available.
I believe that the UK must harness our considerable energy shale gas resources underground, and which if used, will create thousands of British jobs, by making our industries competitive again. It will save consumers money on their bills every year.
Then, when nuclear fusion becomes available, we can harness that clean source of energy.
6. The flawed Government Heat Pump Scheme
The Government is providing taxpayer funding of £7,500 towards the installation of an air-sourced heat pump. However, this funding is only available if you have installed an air-sourced heat pump that warms up the water, which is then pumped around radiators to warm the air; this is an air-water-air heating process.
We have installed an air-air sourced heat pump that heats the air in winter and cools the air in summer, and so it is a simpler and more efficient process; however, this type of heat pump does not attract a government grant.
The advantages of our system are: a far simpler installation; a less bulky installation; a cheaper installation; a very responsive system for heating and cooling; the ability to cool a property in summer (for free using solar panels), something the Government scheme does not offer; and finally, the ability to remove all radiators in a property and free up floor space.
Summary
Some of the content on this page is my personal opinion and not necessarily official Reform UK energy policy.
However, we remain dedicated to being as green as we can to save the planet, and we do use electric cars (powered by solar energy during the summer) and we use our heat pumps for heating in winter and cooling in summer. I accept that going electric does not suit everyone, so I am very much opposed to the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars and the enforced migration of gas boilers to heat pumps.