The Low Energy Show

The title of this event, held yesterday, took on another meaning as I surveyed the relative emptiness of our Town Hall's Pillar Room. One or two of us eco-diehards drifted around the stalls, but where were the punters? Is there really such general apathy about the need for carbon reduction - or even just plain money-saving - within our local community?

I found it a useful exhibition: it helped me get to grips with LED lighting for instance. But the question shouldn't just be, how can we secure the survival of the retro-fittest? Rather, how can we ensure that retro-fitting becomes the norm - most obviously, when an older property changes hands? For major retro-fits can only be carried out satisfactorily when a property is empty.

Energy Performance Certificates have been with us now for nearly five years, but mostly only lip-service is paid to them. They distinguish between current energy efficiency ratings, and potential. Could estate agents not somehow be incentivised, to seize upon that potential for energy (and cost) saving, as part of their sales pitch?