THERMAL INSULATION (DWELLINGS) (Hansard, 29 January 1958)

§ Mr. Gerald Nabarro (Kidderminster)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision for the thermal insulation of dwellings, and for purposes connected therewith. Twelve months ago to this day, leave was given by the House for the introduction of my Bill, which is the complement to my Motion today, for the thermal insulation of new factories and industrial buildings. That Bill made good progress and reached the Statute Book on 17th July last as the Thermal Insulation (Industrial Buildings) Act, 1957. Three years ago, I was privileged to bring to the House, as a Private Member's Measure, the Clean Air Bill, which subsequently reached the Statue Book in 1956. My purpose today is to achieve a trinity of fuel efficiency and conservation Measures by providing for the thermal insulation of all new dwelling-houses built in the United Kingdom after 1959.

Many of us may be deceived today, and the general public as well, by the extraordinarily large coal stocks on the surface, the largest stocks that we have had in this country at any time since the end of the war. I regard the presence of those stocks as a reflex of our failure to export any substantial quantities of coal during last year, and as deriving also from the fact that we have been blessed in the last year or two with exceptionally mild winters. The position could change very rapidly.

The fact is—and I believe that this is supported in every part of the House—that over the next few years we shall have a continuous shortage of energy resources. In capital investment terms, the means of providing the additional energy resources that we need is immensely expensive. This is not a party political issue. It is a problem of finding hundreds of millions of pounds each year for new capital investment for the nationalised fuel and power industries and for the new atomic energy industries.

I contend—it has been the first tenet of my belief in these matters—that it is far more productive and economic to invest money in securing greater efficiency in 380 the use of our fuel and energy resources than in investment in the counterpart, that is, mining more coal and furnishing more energy resources. That is a view which was graphically underlined by the National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Service in its third Annual Report, published last year, and it was confirmed by the Economist, last December, in words similar to those I have uttered today.

We have not only to consider the continuing shortage of energy resources. We must also consider Government policy in this sphere during the last few years. I do not think that what I am advocating today—it is, in the longer term, legislation to give effect to the thermal insulation of dwellings—is in any way out of step with Government policy.

There has been in existence during the last few years what is known as a model byelaw which suggests to local authorities, should they adopt it, that they require a minimum standard of heat retention by thermal insulation in newly-built houses. Most local authorities subscribe to the model byelaw, but sadly the standards prescribed by the model byelaw are so pitifully low as to provide no real conservation of fuel and, in addition, no real raising of comfort standards in our homes.

I seek to replace this model byelaw, though it is largely supported by local authorities, by central Government legislation not affiecting existing houses, but requiring much higher standards of thermal insulation for all houses built after next year.

In this connection, it is instructive to consider what my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works—and he did not do it with an eye upon my Motion today—wrote in a Government publication entitled "Warmth Without Waste", Advisory Leaflet, No. 45. I hope that the House will bear with me for a moment while I read the opening paragraph, because it states the complete case for what I am seeking to achieve by my Motion today. The heading is: Building houses for comfort and fuel economy The paragraph reads: Every householder today wants a higher standard of warmth than ever before, but all fuels are becoming dearer and reserves of some are dwindling. No longer can the ordinary householder or the nation afford to keep poorly designed houses warm by extravagant use of 381 fuel, Everyone responsible for planning or building new houses should always build for warmth. This need not be in any way difficult or expensive if the design and construction of the houses is properly thought out before building is started. I should like to put this matter in its correct arithmetical perspective. Whichever political party forms the Government over, say, the next two decades, we shall probably average the construction of 250,000 new dwellings per annum. Over a 20-year period that is approximately 5 million new houses. Twenty years is not far to look ahead in this context, because we seek to build houses which will last in efficient form for a period of sixty years. I am looking only twenty years ahead.

On average, we use five tons of coal or coal equivalent per dwelling per annum in this country. That is borne out by the evidence of Sir Alfred Egerton's Committee, which issued a technical Report in 1946, and again by the Ridley Committee's Report, in 1952. Out of that five tons of coal or coal equivalent used per annum, about one ton is accounted for by cooking and lighting. The other four tons are used for space and water heating services, generally.

I claim—I shall not enunciate this afternoon all the reasons for my claim; that will be more appropriate to Second Reading if I can secure my Motion this afternoon—that at least 25 per cent. of the four tons will be saved by proper insulation of the house. There are technical agencies which claim that the saving would be as high as 50 per cent. I am putting forward the very modest figure of 25 per cent. saving. Thus, one ton of coal or coal equivalent would be saved per dwelling per annum in respect of all new house construction in future, if they are efficiently insulated against heat loss.

It follows that in the first year, with 250,000 houses built, the economy in fuel would be 250,000 tons. The saving would rise in arithmetical progression by that tonnage until, at the end of twenty years, it would reach 5 million tons economy in coal or coal equivalent per annum. worth, at today's price, a minimum of £40 million per annum, but, on the evidence of the leaflet from which I quoted 382 and the prospect of still dearer fuel supplies, the economy might be even greater.

I wish to say, finally, a word upon thermal insulation costs. Only yesterday my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government issued a circular to all local authorities calling upon them for the greatest possible economy in financial expenditure during the next year. It may be felt, therefore, that what I am seeking to do today might add something to the capital cost of a new dwelling-house. I do not believe that that is a significant factor. Architects advise me that, provided that proper, efficient insulation is built into the structure of the dwelling during erection, the cost of the dwelling itself would be no higher, but even if it were added to the dwelling after completion it would cost no more than £8 to secure highly efficient thermal insulation in a council house with four bedrooms, costing, say, £1,600. That is an addition to the capital cost of one half of 1 per cent., or, say, 1¼d. in the £. Having regard to the large fuel economies which may be envisaged, that is a very worthwhile investment.

The Motion is propitious. The proposal would be scientific in application. It is progressive and objective. It has wide technical, professional and public support outside the House. If I am granted leave to bring in a Bill today, it will be supported in proportion to the strength of the main political parties in this House by six Tory Members in addition to myself and five Socialist Members.