Lib Dems launch new energy policy proposals

5.51.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 17th Jul 2003

Shadow Energy Minister Andrew Stunell MP today launched the new Liberal Democrat policy paper "Conserving the Future".

Andrew Stunell said:

"Our policies will give people a real incentive to save energy in their homes. They will pay less for energy-saving products; save money on heating bills; and will even be able to sell electricity back to power companies if they produce more energy than they can use.

"Labour's record on fuel poverty is shameful. There are 35,000 winter deaths in England every year. Quite simply people are dying because they cannot stay warm.

"This is a shocking indictment of past Governments of all parties. Yet the Government has cut 22% off their funding for fuel poverty measures over the last three years. All pensioner households would be offered a subsidised package of energy-saving measures as an alternative to receiving the annual winter fuel bonus."

An acrobat version of the policy paper is available online at: http://www.libdems.org.uk/documents/policies/Policy_Papers/58ConservingtheFuture.pdf