Vote Elizabeth Botsford Lib Dem on May 5th to keep down gas and electricity bills
We have all heard the news. Decades of Tory and Labour misrule means it’s back to the 1970’s for shocking rises in gas and electricity bills. What can any of us do apart from turn down our thermostats?
It turns out, there is plenty the Council and individuals can do to cut fuel bills. Here are two policies I will fight to implement if you vote for me.
ENERGY SAVING TECHNOLOGY
Transformers can be attached to the electrical mains as it enters a building. They reduce the voltage so that less electricity is used. Our electrical appliances are all cleared for use on lower voltage as used in the EU. Installing transformers reduces electricity bills without any change in habits by the building occupants.
Other councils, and leading public and private sector organisations, have adopted this technology but Westminster's Tories have failed to invest in transformers in buildings they control, such as leisure facilities and council housing. An investment in transformers pays for itself typically within one to three years, and the savings are guaranteed by the supplier. With rising electricity prices, these payback periods will be significantly reduced.
Vote Elizabeth Botsford Lib Dem on May 5th and I will lobby the Council to install transformers in all large council buildings. Additionally, I will encourage all organisations in Westminster which are significant users of electricity to be informed about what transformers do, where to get one and how much electricity this will save. I will also encourage the Council to lobby our electricity suppliers to transform the electrical supply to the whole of Marylebone and other parts of central London.
This would be one of the quickest and cheapest ways of reducing CO2 emissions and meeting our climate change targets. The corresponding reduction in demand will be needed so that the present eletcrical infrastructure can cope with the extra demand needed for Electric vehicle charging.
WINDOWS
I’ve spoken to many residents who want to install more heat-efficient windows in their Marylebone homes. The Council makes replacing windows very difficult and expensive because of outdated worries about the aesthetics of non-wooden windows.
As reported in the Economist Magazine, however, original wooden windows and the latest generation of uPVC windows are now practically indistinguishable when viewed from street level. We can retain the Georgian look we are all so proud of AND we can properly insulate our homes.
I love the facades of our Georgian terraces and squares. As a history buff, I will fight to preserve the beauty of Marylebone. But many of the current restrictions on replacing windows are no longer necessary or useful in that endeavour.
Like the window industry, the Council needs to move into the 21st Century.
Almost everyone in Marylebone lives either in a flat or in a terraced house. These have fairly good levels of insulation compared to detached or semi detached homes. Windows are the weakest link in the fight against losing heat.
Vote Elizabeth Botsford Lib Dem on May 5th to update and simplify the process for replacing windows in Marylebone homes and businesses, while preserving our historical facades.