Climate change and energy efficiency are to be the subject of major back-bench moves in the House of Commons this year. Two Labour MPs - Mark Lazarowicz and Alan Whitehead - successful in the yearly ballot for Private Members’ Bill have announced they will introduce Bills dealing with these issues.

Mark Lazarowicz, the Labour-Co-op MP for Edinburgh North & Leith, won 4th place in the ballot and will be bringing forward the “Climate Change & Sustainable Energy Bill”. This Bill will place a requirement on the Government to report to Parliament on a yearly basis - and aims to promote renewable energy sources, including microgeneration and renewable heat.

Mark said: “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. This bill is designed to help ensure that we in the UK meet our climate change commitments.  The Bill also includes a number of specific proposals to alleviate fuel poverty and climate change by making it easier and cheaper for individual households to generate their own energy.”

“Climate change is one of the Government’s top two priorities for the G8 and EU presidency. The Government know the importance of this issue and I know many MPs do so too. I am confident that the Bill will get the broad support it needs to be successful”.

Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, will introduce a Private Member’s Bill entitled the Management of Energy in Buildings Bill. The Bill will amend current building regulations to ensure that new buildings will contain renewable and sustainable energy devices which will be required to produce a minimum standard of energy generation.

This Bill will also simplify the planning regime for the installation of home based energy producing devices and place an obligation on the government to examine and report on the carbon saving potential of domestic appliances that use ‘off peak’ electricity.

Alan Whitehead said: “The aim of the Bill is quite simply to enable people to go about their daily lives in their homes just as they do now but using energy much more efficiently and cleanly. By making it a necessary requirement for builders to install these devices in new houses and making it easier for installation in existing property, we will see a big but achievable step-change, without adding extra cost to energy supply in this country.”

In a novel move, the two MPs have said they will work together to maximise the chance of both bills being successful. Both MPs feel that taking a joint approach in piloting the bills through Parliament would help the bills get through the House of Commons.

Mark’s 4th place in the ballot means his bill is certain to get parliamentary time for debate, probably in November, and the bill stands a good chance of becoming law. Alan Whitehead, 9th in the ballot, also has a reasonable chance of success given the long parliamentary session this year.

The main points of the two bills are as follows:

Mark Lazarowicz MP - Climate Change & Sustainable Energy Bill:

The Bill will require the government to report to Parliament on a yearly basis on the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and the steps the government has been taking to reduce these. It will also require the government to produce a fiscal and economic strategy to assist with microgeneration and energy efficiency in order to combat climate change and to alleviate fuel poverty. These proposals will apply to the whole of the UK.

The Bill will also introduce both Great Britain wide and local targets for the take-up of microgeneration, and will set up a scheme which will require electricity suppliers to buy electricity produced by domestic customers by microgeneration. It will also include measures to make it easier for green energy certificates to be allocated to those producing energy by microgeneration, along with the introduction of a renewable heat obligation for suppliers of heating fuel. These proposals will apply to Scotland, England and Wales.

For more details of Mark's bill, click here>>>

Alan Whitehead MP Management of Energy in Buildings Bill:

The Bill will amend current building regulations to ensure that new buildings will contain renewable and sustainable energy devices which will be required to produce a minimum standard of energy generation.

This Bill will also simplify the planning regime for the installation of home based energy producing devices such as photovoltaic, wind power, solar thermal or a combined heat and power system.

An obligation will also be placed on the government to examine and report on the carbon saving potential of domestic appliances that use ‘off peak’ electricity. Such an examination could bring in production standards that ensure that domestic equipment is not only energy efficient but makes the best use of conventional forms of energy when not in high demand. This last measure will apply to England, Scotland and Wales. The rest of Alan Whitehead’s bill will apply to England and Wales.