Onzo

Onzo, the leading global designer of home energy management systems, has marked the Energy Saving Trust’s 12th Energy Saving Week by producing a comprehensive set of proposals for improving the energy efficiency of the country’s housing stock. This constitutes a major challenge: domestic energy use continues to grow and more than 30 per cent of carbon gas emissions come from the home. British houses are poorly insulated, energy efficiency improvements are costly and their payback period is long. Moreover, although research consistently shows a majority of the population are keen to do their bit to combat climate change, consumers still lack the information on which to make informed decisions on energy efficiency.

Onzo’s manifesto calls for:
• Energy efficiency improvement loans, attaching to the house not the individual, to be repaid through the council tax or the mortgage;

• The inclusion of a green element in the council tax to pay for improved insulation;

• A requirement under planning law for the insulation of the whole house to be improved when it is extended;

• Zero VAT on domestic energy efficiency expenditure; and

• Energy consumption data to be clearly displayed on all electrical appliances.

Onzo’s Chief Executive, Joel Hagan, commented: “We believe Energy Saving Week is the ideal opportunity for serious thinking on fundamental measures to reduce carbon emissions. The home is one of the most important battlegrounds, and the blueprint we are publishing today proposes important weapons for the fight”.

Onzo’s Blueprint for Green Homes also inaugurates the company’s new blog, Onzo Labs, which has been launched today to provide high-level commentary and stimulate debate on public policy, design, and developments in information and communications technology. It will also provide an insight into Onzo’s approach to its business and the environment in which it operates. The full manifesto can be read on Onzo Labs, which is accessed through Onzo’s web site:

Ends.

Notes to editors:

This year’s Energy Saving Week takes place from 20th to 26th October. 2008 is the event’s twelfth year. Energy Saving Week is designed to promote energy saving action among householders through a concentrated programme of events across the UK, via a range of the Energy Saving Trust’s partner organisations and its network of regional advice centres.