I AM baffled by the energy policy which the Government has publicised.

The proposal is to cap energy bills and so enable us to save one or two hundred pounds on our bills for the year or two of its duration.

After that the energy companies will be able to put up the costs so that we are back where we started.

I suggest that a better strategy would be to encourage investment in energy saving and energy creation at home.

We would save more than the Government’s offer and would continue to do so every year regardless of the energy companies.

At my home, we had extra insulation fitted and solar panels.

It has been a thought provoking experience.

Cost of the panels was £7,000 and paid for entirely from our savings.

Interest on these savings was 0.25 per cent so rising inflation meant that our savings are worth less and less.

By using savings to pay for the solar panels, the return could be six per cent plus an increase in the value of the house.

Energy costs are rising so it seems a good investment.

Mrs May boasts that one million homes will be insulated over the life of her Parliament.

However, in 2007 alone 2.7 million homes received such improvements until the system was halted.

In 2015 the Green Deal was ended and never replaced.

Scotland offers interest-free loans to home owners wanting to improve their energy saving, but England has missed an opportunity to save energy, improve our comfort, and create jobs.

For our energy saving, we wanted to buy British, but failed totally.

Chinese panels were cheaper, but German panels had better reviews and seemed cheaper in the long run.

Given Britain’s history of engineering and innovation it was disappointing to have to choose German technology, but we were at least able to use a local firm to install it.

With support, Britain could be fostering this growth industry to manufacture and install such measures on existing and new homes as happened in Germany.

Governments claim to be looking after our economy and employment, but this is a growth area which we need and which has been failed.

Britain is being promised hordes of new homes which represent a massive market for energy saving, plus new jobs to manufacture and install the equipment.

Moreover, it might help us to meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act of 2008.

J Graham

King’s Stanley