KEY POINTS:
The Government has unveiled a range of measures to improve New Zealand's energy efficiency, but the National Party says the plan is too vague.
Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons, who is also the Government energy efficiency spokeswoman, released the draft energy efficiency strategy yesterday.
Features include a home energy rating scheme, greater promotion of solar energy, changes to the building code to make homes and workplaces more efficient, more retrofitting of older homes and tighter minimum performance standards for appliances.
The rating scheme would be based on details such as insulation, windows, water heating and lighting. It could be in place by the end of next year and would initially be voluntary.
The house rating would probably be based on a five-star system similar to that for appliances.
Ms Fitzsimons said greater efficiency was needed to combat a projected 40 per cent increase in electricity demand and 35 per cent increase in the use of fossil fuels by 2030.
The Government's last energy efficiency strategy was deemed a failure after little progress was made towards meeting a target of a 20 per cent increase in efficiency by 2012.
The new strategy does not have such a strict target, and Ms Fitzsimons said it could only work if people accepted it and integrated it into their behaviour.
Businesses and individuals needed to recognise that greater efficiency would save them money as well as benefiting the greater economy and environment, she said.
"If everyone takes responsibility for their part of the plan, everyone will share the benefits of energy savings, warmer homes, better health and a cleaner environment."
But National's energy spokesman, Gerry Brownlee, said the strategy had too little detail on how savings would be achieved.
"This report is disappointingly short of anything that could be considered a reasonable response to our deepening energy crisis."
He said in the area of climate change and energy the Government was long on draft plans, discussion documents and proposed strategies but short on actual policy.
- NZPA
