Sunday Telegraph: Tories unveil plans for energy regulations

The Conservatives will unveil tough regulations on televisions, fridges and other household appliances this week as part of a plan to make Britain a world leader in energy-efficiency, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.The Tories plan to pull the plug on the ’stand by’ function

Under the proposals, caps would be set on how much energy all electrical appliances can use. Goods exceeding those limits would be banned from sale after a set date. Household electrical goods would also have to be fitted with labels that would allow consumers to see at point of sale how much energy the device will typically use in a year and how it compares with its peers. The Tories also plan to pull the plug on the “stand-by” function on many electrical goods, which accounts for more than 2 per cent of Britain’s electricity use.

Electrical goods that could be kept on stand-by indefinitely would also be banned from sale after a set date. The proposals are to be unveiled in the Conservatives’ Quality of Life report, the last of the party’s eight policy reviews. Led by the millionaire environmentalist Zac Goldsmith and the former cabinet minister John Gummer, the report examines transport, housing, urban planning, public spaces, energy, waste and pollution.

“Reducing our energy use through a massive commitment to energy efficiency in our homes should be the first priority of a government committed to tackling climate change,” said a Tory source. The report says that while some progress has been made on making electronic goods more efficient, these gains have been largely undermined by the sharp increase in household goods in recent years. It is said that if all of Britain’s 25 million mobile phone chargers were left switched off, the unused energy could power 66,000 homes for a year.

The review is also expected to unveil a series of green taxes, such as VAT on domestic flights and a “per-flight tax” on airlines. The report will also call for a moratorium on airport expansion and incentives for domestic air passengers to switch to trains. Higher taxes on 4×4 vehicles are also expected to be discussed, along with proposals to make cycling more -attractive.