The minister at the forefront of DECC’s pioneering policy, ‘The Green Deal’, has admitted it can’t guarantee savings for homeowners. The Government had previously promised “savings on bills will always equal or exceed the cost of the work” done to improve the UK’s ageing housing stock.

Asked by Labour’s Shadow Energy Secretary Caroline Flint whether he would ensure customers are not charged more for home improvements under the Green Deal, Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said to Parliament: “It is not possible for Government to guarantee people will save money.”

However, he claimed the “robust assessment” involved meant people could “expect to save”.

He said: “The Golden Rule, the principle that savings should be equal to or more than the costs will help ensure customers realise savings from the outset if desired.”

According to research, a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions comes from the energy we use to heat our homes and a similar amount comes from our businesses, industry and workplaces.

Government says millions of homes and businesses could benefit from improvements under the Green Deal scheme.