§ Mr. Pendryasked the Secretary of State for Energy when the Government intend to implement Recommendation 18 of the First Report of the Select Committee of Science and Technology on Energy Conservation that they should provide comparative information about the cost of different fuels and heating appliances.
§ Dr. John A. CunninghamMy Department has today published a free446W booklet, "Compare Your Home Heating Costs", whose aim is to give an impartial comparison of the typical annual cost of domestic heating by different fuels. The comparisons cover different situations—heating a living room, supplying hot water from an independent system, and partial and full central heating of a typical three-bedroom semidetached house.
The booklet, which covers solid fuel, electricity, gas, oil and paraffin, should be of particular help to those who already have a choice of fuels; to those who need to replace a heating appliance or who are thinking of improving their heating system; and to anyone moving into a house or flat where no heating system has yet been installed. It will also give guidance to those who want to know whether they can save money by changing to a different fuel, as it shows typical capital costs of different heating appliances and systems as well as their running cost.
I believe that the advice and information given in the booklet, which represents an important extension of the advice given to domestic consumers under the Save-It campaign, will help the consumer to save both money and energy by providing the basis on which to make a more informed choice of fuels and heating systems.
Fuel prices and tariffs, and heating requirements, vary in different parts of the country, and in recognition of this diversity the booklet is being published in four different editions, covering Northern England, Southern England, Scotland and Wales respectively.
Copies of the booklet have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.