Davey announces energy efficiency ‘crack team’

In his first speech since he replaced Chris Huhne as energy and climate change secretary, Ed Davey has revealed details of a new Energy Efficiency Deployment Office (EEDO) to "spearhead energy efficiency policy".


The new 50-strong team, operating as part of The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), has pledged to make energy efficiency “more relevant to people’s everyday lives”. It will support the delivery of the Green Deal, smart meter rollout and increase in renewable heat as well as developing a new national energy efficiency strategy focusing on improving the efficiency of Britain’s housing stock.

Speaking this morning at a meeting with Industry Leaders in Sloane Square, London, Mr Davey said: “I’m hugely enthusiastic about energy efficiency. It’s the cheapest way of cutting carbon – and cutting bills for consumers. It has to be right at the heart of what we do.

“EEDO will be a centre of expertise, challenging our work and making energy efficiency real and relevant to people’s everyday lives. We need to get out there and show people what energy efficiency can really do for them.

“The Green Deal will play a huge part in this work and will also support jobs in the insulation and construction industries- as many as 65,000 right across the country by 2015. It can help us deliver a fairer, greener economy. And help us get young people back into work – or into work for the first time.

“The UK has some of the most inefficient housing stock in the EU. But getting this right means as a nation we make energy savings over the next decade equivalent to two nuclear power stations while making everyone’s homes warmer and cheaper to run.”

Will Parsons

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