Environmental legislation news: DECC hosts hot water taskforce

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has hosted the first meeting of the Domestic Heating and Hot Water taskforce, it has announced.

In a statement, the UK government department explained that 47 per cent of the carbon emissions produced by the UK are caused by the way consumers generate heat.

As such, it said that a "radical change" is needed if the country is to reach its ambitious carbon reduction targets.

The meeting was chaired by energy and climate change minister Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.

Commenting, he said the heating sector requires a greater voice within government and that was the main reason behind the formation of the taskforce.

"If we can make homes warm in an environmentally friendly and efficient way we not only help tackle climate change but we can reduce heating bills too," added Lord Hunt, who addressed the Gas Infrastructure World Caspian Conference 2009 in Azerbaijan last month.

Posted by Joseph Hutton