Rural gas users 'losing out' in ECO scheme

Calor Gassaid the way the ECO scheme has been designed means "the picture is even more bleak for the countryside as the big energy companies are refusing to provide off gas grid homes with either free boiler repairs or replacements for qualifying householders on heating oil or LPG”.

The issue will be raised today at a roundtable event attended by energy minister Michael Fallon.

" Calor Gashas been lobbying for some years now for properly targeted help and support for householders who live off the gas grid and who want to improve the energy efficiency of their homes," a company spokesperson said.

"The government’s previous energy efficiency schemes – CERT and CESP – almost completely bypassed the countryside owing to a combination of poor policy design and the understandable desire of the Big 6 to hit their targets for the lowest possible cost. This meant that they pursued energy efficiency measures almost exclusively in urban areas.

" Calorlobbied hard during the design phase of ECO and as a result the government included the 15% rural safeguard in the CSCo part of ECO.

"However, 'rural' has been defined as any settlements less than 10,000 people (i.e. market town not village).

"DECC statistics released on 20th May 2014 indicate that 776,369 measures were installed under ECO to the end of March 2014.

"However, only 789 of these measures (mostly loft top-up) were installed within the CSCo 'rural' sub-obligation, which is 0.001% of total ECO measures installed (776,369) and only 0.006% of total CSCO measures installed (122,163). This is despite the fact that they are eligible measures under the scheme rules.

"As ECO is funded via a levy on consumer bills, the cost burden of ECO is being disproportionately carried by poor and vulnerable off gas grid consumers who are failing to benefit from the scheme. What has to happen to finally enable off gas grid householders to be offered the same financial support to improve their energy efficiency as is being made available to people in towns and cities."

Calor Gashas warned that off gas grid householders are being denied the same opportunities as are being made available to urban dwellers and presenting them with a big cost cliff face.