HC Deb 19 May 1981 vol 5 cc63-4W
Mr. Forman

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will set out in convenient tabular form for the latest year for which figures are available and by each recognised sector of energy use: the proportion of final energy consumption, the amount allocated from public funds to conservation in that year, and the estimated range of ultimate savings in 10 years in millions of tons of oil equivalent.

Mr. John Moore

The following table sets out, by sector of energy use, the proportion of final energy consumption and central Government expenditure on separately indentifiable energy conservation programmes, for the financial year 1979–80.

Proportion of final energy consumption (per cent.) Central Government expenditure (£ million)
Industry 36.7 13
Domestic 23.7 53
Transport 26.8 0.5*
Other final consumers 12.8 47†
Total 100 113.5
* This figure takes no account of subsidies for public transport, which amounted to £989 million in 1979–80.
† This figure represents energy conservation investments in public sector buildings.

Estimating ultimate savings is difficult and uncertain because it involves assessing the combined responses of individual energy consumers, as well as those of the manufacturers of energy-using appliances, to both higher prices and the various policy measures and information programmes which may be introduced. However, allowances for conservation were made in the Department's projections published in energy Projections 1979; these amounted to about 15 per cent. in terms of heat supplied. These allowances were assumed to be in addition to the contribution from normal technological progress.

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