Energy Efficiency in Dwellings (Hansard, 26 November 1986)

§ Baroness Stedman
My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lord Hanworth, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in his name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, having regard to the relatively large heat losses through the ground floors of better thermally insulated houses they will now specify minimum insulation requirements for such floors.

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, the present requirements for energy efficiency in dwellings are being reviewed. Our aim is to combine a higher standard with greater flexibility in the ways in which the requirements can be met. We hope to publish proposals next month in a consultation document.

§ Baroness Stedman
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for the Answer she has given. I am sure that will go some way to satisfy my noble friend. But surely it is possible to introduce into building regulations the need for including requirements for the insulation of floors in new buildings? Is that one of the matters being taken into consideration?

§ Baroness Hooper
Yes, my Lords. The consultation document will contain proposals for the insulation of ground floors of dwellings.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, will the Government provide any incentive by way of grants or subsidies to help people who are building their houses, or those who already have houses without insulation, so that they can instal this very necessary item?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, as I understand it, these regulations will affect new buildings only. The additional costs of construction of a range of measures to be discussed in the consultation document is estimated to be between £200 and £500 per house. Of this, £125 to £300 relates to floor insulation alone. This is a consultation document. What will eventually come out of it remains to be seen.

§ Lord Mellish
My Lords, will the noble Baroness take note of the fact that, while there is a lot to be said for floor heating, the big trouble is that the majority of people who would like that cannot afford it? What can she do about that?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, the aim of the consultation document is to bring in greater flexibility which will introduce a higher overall standard so that builders can choose from a range of measures that will satisfy the regulations.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, does not the Minister agree that if we introduce this factor only into new construction the energy saving on our total housing stock will be very small indeed? Because finite resources of energy are running out at an alarming rate, will the Minister ask her appropriate colleagues in the Government to consider, as a matter of urgency, trying to introduce the application of these measures into our existing housing stock where a tremendous saving could be made?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, only a couple of weeks ago, in the debate on this topic of heating, particularly for the elderly, I gave an undertaking to the House that the Government were keeping this matter under review and that they recognise that this is a matter of urgency, especially when considering the winter months.