Environmental analysis news: Public need to be educated about renewable energy

The public need to be educated about the advantages of renewable energy and how utilising such sources can help in the fight against climate change, an industry expert has commented.

Andrew Leech, director of the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), explained that there is still a lot of scepticism surrounding global warming in the UK.

"I think the general public needs a lot more education in this respect. They are still very sceptical about global warming and climate change and what the knock-on effects of those are," he said.

Mr Leech pointed out that colder winters will push heating bills higher but added that introducing small-scale renewable energy systems can help reduce bills as well as being beneficial for the environment.

Earlier this week, the government announced its feed-in tariffs for renewable energy generated by households, communities and businesses.

Under the plans, which will take effect from April this year, payments will be made to people in exchange for the low-carbon electricity they produce.

Posted by Lauren Steadman