COMMENT
Warming to the new government scheme
I
t’s a measure of how mixed up the climate is at the moment, and how unseasonably warm it has been, that the first time I have had to use the scraper on my car windscreen was the first week in December.
There are a couple of reasons why this is a good thing: I haven’t been freezing for the last two months, for starters, and the heating has stayed off for a great many people who would struggle to pay the bills otherwise. It’s also a bad thing of course, as it shows that our climate is changing, probably irrevocably.
However, according to the forecasts, that is all about to change with reports of an icy blast heading in from Scandinavia for a week or so. It might not quite be the Beast From the East which so disrupted things in February 2018, but it will be quite different to what we’ve had thus far this Winter. For many people, who are already worried about the rising cost of energy to heat their homes, it’s going to be very concerning.
So, how timely then, that the Government has announced plans to launch yet another scheme aimed at encouraging people to properly insulate their homes. Not so much a completely new scheme as one that extends out from existing programmes to include some people who earn just a little bit too much money to fall into the Government help bracket.
Some people. Not everyone. And not every house that needs it. Households must be in the lower Council Tax bands, and with EPC ratings of lower than a D. If you happen to live in a draughty old house, but your Council Tax band is E or F you are, basically, scuppered. Or, to put it another way, you will have to fund each and every improvement yourself. Some people will easily be able to do that. Some people won’t. Some people will see increasing the energy efficiency of their homes as a
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EDITORIAL Group Managing Editor: Fiona Russell Horne 01622 699101 07721 841382
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priority, others will err on the side of putting food on the table and money aside to pay the gas bill. Even now, with all the publicity about energy costs, rising bills and possible power cuts, home improvements which don’t involve a swanky oven, fancy flooring or a walk-in shower aren’t aspirational. “Hey, guys, let me show you my new loft insulation. It’s brilliant at keeping the house toasty warm in Winter and cool in Summer. And it keeps the bills down. And it’s yellow.” Said no person ever. Sad, but true.
So, the Government scheme, even if it is coupled with a persuasive publicity programme to promote turning down the boiler flow temperature and sticking draught-proofing round your windows, has its work cut out. On the plus side, it does look as though the new scheme, when it launches in March - assuming it gets signed off in Parliament - will be administered in such a way that it might actually do some good. Hopefully, this time, the Government has listened to the supply chain, to the installer groups, the energy companies, the manufacturers and yes, the merchants, that the best ways of instilling confidence in householders to spend money on their homes is to have them deal with the people they trust - the local builders who understand their needs.
There is no one solution to this. It’s never going to be enough because we still have too many houses which were built in such a way that many modern methods of insulating them will not work. We need to use less energy; we need to use fewer fossil fuels to get that energy and we need to think about how we use energy more carefully.
In the meantime, Brr, where are my gloves and my ice-scraper? BMJ
Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ
“
No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose. Charles Dickens
”
CONTENTS 4 Newsround
The latest news from around the industry
8 News Extra
Travis Perkins has issued the results of its latest survey of customers
10 People
Who’s moved where and 10 Minutes With…
12 Business Helpdesk Is your insurance up to scratch? The BMF can help
14 2022 Round-Up A look back at some of the news stories you may have forgotten about from this year
18 Viewpoint
Comment and views from across the sector
23 Timber
Trading forecasts from the timber sector, plus a merchant who decided to sort a plywood problem out for themselves.
27 Ironmongery and Security
Trends and developments and what merchants need to watch out for in the security sector
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31 IT
How secure is your website really?
34 Product News Supplier developments and new products
36 BMF Industry Voice What the BMF has been up to on your behalf
38 And Finally A bottle of bubbly is up for grabs for the winner of the Prize Crossword
December 2022
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3
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