As a managing director, homeowner, father and global citizen, I applaud Building for its 99% Campaign, and pledge my support to it 100%. The key issue though is that buildings don’t cause carbon emissions, people do.

This comes down, quite simply, to education. If we could explain to people that making a building more energy efficient is not just green, but also more comfortable and much cheaper, why wouldn’t they do it? Surely it’s an easy sell! It’s an unbelievable investment – there is no bank, building society or high-risk investment that touches it. And, as a message, it’s a marketeer’s dream.

So it must come down to ownership. For the most part the people whom the government have asked to communicate energy conservation to the consumer are same ones whose job it is to sell energy! It is only people like us in the insulation sector that have a vested interest. We see the bigger picture, but unfortunately we are not blessed with the promotional budgets of the energy retail sector.

Talk of fiscal measures is great – I applaud them all. But this medicine does not need a spoonful of sugar – it is sweet enough. It just needs explaining. People aren’t stupid and when they understand they will respond.

Mark Andrews, managing director, Knauf Insulation

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