Energy efficiency programme 'needs more investment'

Plans to make the UK more energy-efficient are underfunded and in need of a radical overhaul, a report suggests.

More needs to be done to make the country energy-efficient and encourage investment, it has been suggested.

According to Consumer Focus, £3 billion a year is required to make a difference, with the programme needing to last around seven years.

"The government's current energy efficiency schemes are simply not up to the task of tackling fuel poverty and cutting carbon emissions," warned Jonathan Stearn, Energy Expert for Consumer Focus.

If the plans are put into practise, it is believed that over 80% of households could be lifted out of fuel poverty and 52% will see their energy bills reduced.

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Consumer Focus also suggests that carbon emissions from homes of the fuel poor could be reduced by as much as 59%, allowing improvements to be made to future developments.

Earlier this week, government plans to roll out smart meters across the UK by 2020 were unveiled.