Government to Review the Green Deal

Downing Street is about to review the government's Green Deal after warnings that it's liable to fail.  The Cabinet Office has been interviewing critics of the flagship scheme and is expected to report soon.  The Deal - to insulate the UK's aged housing stock - is designed to save carbon emissions, keep people warm, and make energy affordable.  But critics say it won't give enough help to the fuel poor, and warn it may waste £2-3bn of people's energy bills.  They say this is a scandal after the recent warning that the number of people unable to afford their energy bills is likely to rise to 8.5 million.  Critics say it makes no sense to insulate solid walls at approximately £7,500 a home when you can insulate lofts of the "fuel poor" for £500 a home. They also argue that the subsidies scheme will force low-income families to pay extra on their fuel bills to subsidise solid wall insulation for more wealthy homes. Complaints have been so widespread that a Cabinet Office team was detailed to interview the critics, who estimate that by pushing money towards solid walls rather than lofts the government could waste between £2bn and £3bn of energy bill payers' money in coming years.  Read more on the BBC website.