Government 'needs to focus on energy efficiency'

The government needs to place more emphasis on energy efficiency, it has been suggested.

John Barwise, chairman of the Cumbria Green Business Association, said renewable energy is largely seen as the answer to all of our problems. However, he claimed that this is not the case.

"They are only part of the solution and we really do need to focus on energy efficiency. And by the same token we can generate a lot more jobs," Mr Barwise explained.

People fitting energy-saving devices in their homes, introducing cavity wall insulation and energy-efficient boilers will help to cut emissions, "if not even more so than some of the renewable policies that have been put into place", Mr Barwise furthered.

According to a document published earlier this week by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, £120 million from low-carbon investment funding will help to advance the country's offshore wind industry, while £60 million will be set aside to boost wave and tidal energy developments.

Written by Claire Manning