The eco-home tax perk that has benefited just six people

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Tax relief for households that meet the definition "zero-carbon" has been available since last autumn.

However Financial Secretary to the Treasury Jane Kennedy was forced to admit only half a dozen households have been able to claim it.

Scroll down for more...

One of the few zero-carbon homes: It has wind turbines on the roof, solar panels and triple-glazed, south-facing windows among its features

The Government set aside £15million to pay for the green scheme as it promised to "kick start the market for zero-carbon homes".

But the relief does not apply to flats and maisonettes and to meet the definition of "zero-carbon", new homes must draw their electricity directly from local renewable sources.

Ed Matthews, head of economics at Friends of the Earth, claimed the Government used the policy to gain support, but had no intention of making it accessible to all.

He said: "Clearly this does fall into the camp of green-tax con. The Government is not putting forward serious policies to tackle climate change and this is a classic example.

"It is all talk and no action. If the Government were serious about benefiting the environment, they would offer everyone a rebate if their houses were properly insulated."

A Treasury spokesman said initial take-up had been slow because the stamp duty exemption could only be claimed on homes once they were bought but predicted that numbers would rise sharply in the coming months.

The tiny number of households to have benefited from the eco-rebate comes in stark contrast to the huge increase in stamp duty for mainstream homebuyers.

Last year, the Government raised £6.4billion from stamp duty, a 40 per cent increase on the previous year.