§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will expand the new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme to include energy efficiency improvements to the fabric of buildings constructed with solid walls. [101426]
§ Mr. MeacherHouseholds eligible for the New Homes Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) who live in properties with solid walls will receive loft insulation and draught proofing under the scheme, to improve the energy efficiency of the building fabric.
With regard to the solid wall insulation, as I detailed in the answer I gave on Tuesday 19 October 1999, Official Report, column 491W, this does not appear to be appropriate for the packages of improvements to be offered under the new HEES. Therefore external or internal wall insulation measures will not be available under the scheme.
Instead, the New HEES packages available for these solid wall properties include higher levels of heating improvements than those for cavity walled homes, so providing similar reductions in fuel costs for both types of property.