The cost of green

Occasional posts about the costs of green measures being foisted on us. Contributions welcome.

We concluded yesterday that in 2005-06, the total burden of green taxes and charges – Fuel Duty and Vehicle Excise Duty (net of road spending), Climate Change Levy, Landfill Tax and the net cost of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme – was over £800 per household.

We commented that the burden will have risen. One issue is the aim that all homes should be zero-carbon - using on-site power generation to cut emissions - by 2016, reports the Financial Times. Most agree the scheme is the toughest of the new rules, adding about £30,000-£40,000 to the £200,000 cost of a new home.

In any case, homeowners may be unwilling to buy "zero-carbon" homes and are worried about the potential costs involved.

About 60 per cent of people polled preferred traditional-looking houses. More than 30 per cent said they had no interest in buying a house with built-in equipment to generate energy, such as solar panels or a mini wind turbine.

Many raised concerns over other potential features, including windows that do not open as far as usual to ensure that the home leaks less hot air.

Remember being consulted about this policy? Thought not.

Among those surveyed, nine out of 10 people thought the climate was changing. "Only" (the FT's word, I assume) 45 per cent thought this was mainly the result of rising greenhouse gas emissions.