10 Minute Rule Bill on clean technology and how cutting CO2 emission can reduce fuel bills

There is a great deal of support for policies to tackle climate change and one of the best ways to cut down on the harmful emissions which contribute to climate change is to reduce the emissions we are each releasing from our own homes, offices and workplace energy systems.

There are many innovative carbon-saving technologies that can help achieve this largely through improving efficiency and cutting energy wastage from everyday energy devices such as boilers and radiators.  Apart for resulting in a cleaner environment this invariably reduces our fuel bills too. In fact it is remarkable just how much money we can save as a direct result of cutting emissions, and how much more we could save yet.

I support the Government’s energy cap – a temporary measure, which should be seen as an intervention to rebalance a lopsided market.  Yet the deepest cost reductions  will come from private sector innovation and new clean tech.  Much progress has been made with this Government’s commitment to promoting innovative technology, with significant investments in storage and offshore wind, as the massive cost reduction in wind power have shown, this support is delivering results, and as the costs of renewables and batteries continue to fall, so too will our bills. However, there is more that can be done. That’s why through a recent Ten Minute Rule Bill I have called for a public consultation on new technologies to enable companies to illustrate to the Government how their inventions can help achieve energy policy objectives, stimulating further investment and even greater innovations.  It’s vital this covers applications not just for domestic households but also applications for business and commercial use.

There are many examples, amongst them Stored Passive Flue Gas.  This British invention significantly improves the efficiency of domestic hot water performance of A rated condensing gas boilers, helping households save around £100 a year on their gas and water bills because their boiler will be more efficient.  If fitted into every home with a gas boiler, we could also see savings of 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 each year, reducing emissions and cutting bills.

The snappily named, Metrology for Acoustic Recognition of Gas Optimised services (MARGO), another British invention, is a  new smart billing system that can more accurately measure the gas supplied to, and therefore the CO2 produced by, households already installed with existing mechanical gas meters.  If widely installed it could reduce reported household CO2 emissions by 10% year – equating to households saving 4% a year on gas bills.

Community heat networks, devices to balance  radiator systems, or produce renewable heat and hot water using heat pumps and ventilation, and even wood fibre insulation in buildings can all make a contribution. The latter  not only controls   temperate, sound and moisture but being  cellulose it can also absorb up to 10 tonnes of  CO2 for every home built. Hydrogen fuel boilers can also cut  carbon emissions significantly and reduce domestic electricity consumption.

I hope that a new public consultation on clean tech could stimulate further ideas and investment and so lead to lower fuel bills and less emissions of CO2.  This will benefit not just my constituents in Taunton Deane, but people everywhere by reducing fuel bills and creating a cleaner environment.  With our technical expertise and existing experience  the UK has the opportunity to become a hub for investment in new clean technology.  We should seize this opportunity  to maintain our position of climate leadership and bring down bills for consumers.