A plumbers merchant called Mick Williams with whom I am aquainted through social networking (how 21st century are we?) has done something quite unremarkable, he has posted a petition onto the number ten downing street website.

Yet another petition for former edie reporter turned Number Ten employee Kate Martin to approve on the website for the PM to peruse. 

What is different about this petition however, and the reason I am writing this blog to support it, is that if Mick's idea goes ahead it will give a helping hand to some of the UK's struggling construction industry while ALSO helping to reduce the impact of household energy consumption on the environment.

The petition is one for a boiler scrappage scheme. According to the 'Energy Saving Trust' if everyone in the UK with gas central heating installed a high efficiency condensing boiler, enough energy to heat 3.4 million homes for a whole year would be saved, along with around 13 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide. The householder could also save around a third on their heating bills. So as the recent car scrappage scheme has been reported to be a success surely having a similar scheme to persuade people to replace their old inefficient boiler is a no-brainer?

The editor and readers of BuildersMerchantsJournal.net have got behind the petition, you can read the editor Fiona's latest blog on the subject here:

http://www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net/blog/view_entry.asp?id=71

As Fiona says "The general public is more likely to sign a petition for Jeremy Clarkson to be Prime Minister than they are one for any kind of building product sales boost. So it's up to the industry to get this sorted." But why just the construction industry? Why not anyone who would like to applaud the efforts of one man to try and give his industry a boost? And why not anyone who thinks that more efficient energy in the home is a step in the right direction?

I call on all you edie readers: if you think this is a good idea too, please sign the petition here:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/boilerscrappage/

It is as simple as typing your name, email and address (to show you live in the UK) and clicking on submit. (I have signed these petitions in the past and it does not result in any unwanted emails or contact in the future.) You have read this far so you may as well take another couple of seconds out of your day. Many thanks!