Former Labour energy secretary Ed Miliband was told by DECC energy efficiency minister Greg Barker that the Government had announced a refocused and extended carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) on 30 June 2010, which is expected to provide benefits for at least 3.5m households of all types by the end of 2012. The answer came when he asked what plans DECC had to improve energy efficiency standards in the private rented property sector.

Mr Barker added that CERT will pave the way for a new Green Deal for households and business that he said “will mark a dramatic change in how we deliver improvements in the energy efficiency of properties in the UK. Green Deal finance will enable the provision of energy efficiency measures with no upfront costs,” and, he added, “the potential to overcome the cost barriers that may have prevented many landlords taking action in the past.”

Hansard, 19 July: Column 74W