Householders to foot green energy bill
These days it's hard to read a newspaper or switch on the news without an environmental issue popping up. And though many of us will be considering how we can become more energy efficient and thoughts of reducing our carbon footprint may arise more often than in the past, how many are keen on the idea of a windfarm on the horizon? Well, a ruined view may not be the only green issue that raises a few eyebrows.
Top green searches:
According to energy regulator Ofgem, each household could be paying £500 a year to subsidise those wind turbines and tidal power stations by the year 2025. Currently, the average household sees £100 a year siphoned off their fuel bills for green subsidies. But Government targets have to be met folks and guess who'll be footing the bill... that's right, you.
The Government, committed to reducing a green energy revolution, has unveiled plans to install smart gas and electricity meters in every home by 2020. These will not only enable householders to monitor their fuel use but allow power companies to take remote readings and charge different rates for different times of the day.
The good news is that ministers estimate we'll be saving a whopping £2.30 a month on domestic bills by 2020. The bad news... the cost of installing all those 'smart' meters will cost up to £9 billion – and that's more than £400 per household. Which? editor Martyn Hocking, said: "We're concerned that consumers could be saddled with the entire multi-billion pound bill for a project that's going to save the industry hundreds of millions of pounds a year."
Well quite. Still, a small price to pay for ensure Britain is "a nicer place to live for our children and grandchildren" as Ofgem chief executive Alistair Buchanan put it.
Will you be happy to subsidise these energy saving meters, or is it the consumer that is once again being saddled with all the responsibility?
