THOUSANDS of jobs would be created in the Carlisle parliamentary constituency by retrofitting homes with good insulation and heat pumps, a new report claims.

The Institute for Public Policy Research says the £7 billion-per-year scheme is a 'no-brainer' to create jobs, boost growth, reduce energy bills, level-up and meet net-zero targets nationwide.

The 28-year plan to upgrade almost all of England's 24 million homes with energy efficient measures and low-carbon technologies would create 1.2 million direct jobs – including 2,279 in Carlisle.

It claims the move is “uniquely placed” to become “the cornerstone of the Government’s levelling-up strategy in England”, as those communities with the highest demand for installers tend to be current or former industrial centres and coastal communities outside London and the South East.

Luke Murphy, associate director for the energy, climate, housing and infrastructure team at the IPPR, said the move was a “no-brainer” as it would deliver jobs, growth, lower energy bills, reduce energy demand and lessen carbon emissions.

The think tank said investing in its proposals for a multibillion pound retrofitting programme could save average households £430 per year when energy bills are capped at £2,500 this autumn, and sustain more than 1.2 million direct jobs and 1.5 million indirect jobs by 2050.

 

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