Green energy brings lower bills. West Yorkshire proves it, writes Ed Miliband and Mayor Tracy Brabin
Politicians who sell the lie that net zero means higher costs for working families must be challenged head on.
It is a scandal that millions of people in our country lack the security of a home that is warm, affordable and safe.
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We are determined to work together, as the Energy Secretary and the Mayor of West Yorkshire, to do everything we can to tackle the affordability crisis head on.
At the Budget the Chancellor took an average of £150 of costs off energy bills for all families from April.
Together with the expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount to millions more families, this will provide much-needed support with the cost of living.
But there is more to do, which is why today the government is launching the Warm Homes Plan.
This will deliver the biggest public investment in home upgrades in British history, backed by £15 billion to upgrade 5 million homes - cutting bills and helping lift up to 1 million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
This is a plan that will be delivered hand in hand with mayors and local authorities -those representing local people, delivering for local people.
We already see record demand for technologies like solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation that can save families hundreds of pounds a year on their bills. But while costs continue to fall, these technologies remain out of reach for too many.
The Warm Homes Plan is about bringing down costs so everyone can benefit, with grants and loans available to all families and targeted support for those who need it most.
It also delivers protections for Britain’s renters, with new rules to ensure landlords invest in their properties to meet minimum standards of energy efficiency.
These measures will turbocharge the work already being done by local authorities and mayors around Britain.
In West Yorkshire, we're insulating over 10,000 social homes at no cost to tenants, and our pioneering Home Energy West Yorkshire advice service is helping families across the region upgrade their homes and lower their energy bills for the long term.
We've even heard from households that are generating so much clean power from solar panels and battery storage that they're now selling it back to the grid, saving hundreds of pounds every year.
West Yorkshire is living proof that the best solutions to the climate crisis are also solutions to the cost of living crisis. Politicians who sell the lie that net zero means higher costs for working families must be challenged head on.
Today’s landmark plan is an important step forward in tackling Britain’s affordability crisis - cutting bills, reducing fuel poverty and creating tens of thousands of good, well-paid jobs.
We look forward to continuing to work together to roll it out, delivering for families in West Yorkshire and across the country.
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Ed Miliband is the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. Tracy Brabin is the Mayor of West Yorkshire.
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