A £400 scrappage scheme on old boilers and an average £900 a year to homeowners with solar panel and wind generation systems that plug their excess power back into the National Grid were just two 'green' acknowledgements in the Chancellors pre-budget speech earlier this week.
The boiler scrappage scheme will help some 125,000 homes replace inefficient boilers with new models. Boilers account for over 60% of all home heating emissions in the UK.
As we've already mentioned, Feed-in Tariffs seemed to get a mention with the Chancellor rewarding early adopters of green power with an average £900 a year for pumping their solar or wind generated electricity into the National Grid.
Electric cars also benefit with a 5 year exemption from company car taxes as well as a 100% first year capital allowance for electric vans, paving the way for a boost in the numbers of electric vehicles on our streets. Employees could save several thousand pounds a year in company car tax. Although some critics have pointed out that there is still a long way to go in making electric powered cars available and building the infrastructure to power them.
The Warm Front scheme will also be extended - it's already helped over 230,000 people insulate their homes as well as heat them more efficiently. Mr Darling is also counting on energy efficiency being added by the introduction of smart meters in every home (which will be completed by 2020).
There were other monies promised to investment in low carbon projects as well as £90m in the European Investment Bank's new 2020 fund. He also promised more action to reduce the impact of coal power plants and other major CO2 emitters.
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