Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Civil preparedness and national energy security are central to the Government’s resilience agenda. As we transition to Net Zero, we are working with Cabinet colleagues and industry to ensure that technologies such as domestic solar panels, home battery storage and energy efficiency measures contribute to a secure, resilient energy system and support household preparedness.

As set out in the National Security Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-strategy-2025-security-for-the-british-people-in-a-dangerous-world) and the Resilience Action Plan

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-resilience-action-plan) driving a conversation on risk and preparedness with the public is crucial. The forthcoming Energy Resilience Strategy will include proposals for how Government will work with wider society, in addition to the energy sector and partners in other critical sectors, to address the risks and challenges facing the energy system.

Great British Energy (GBE) will operate in Northern Ireland as part of its commitment to deliver in all four nations of the UK. Recognising Northern Ireland’s distinct energy landscape and regulatory framework, GBE will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to explore ways it can best support the delivery of clean power, community energy and drive inclusive economic growth. The contribution of SMEs to the development of clean power including supply chains will be part of this consideration.

Earlier this year GBE committed £1.62 million for community and public sector renewable projects in Northern Ireland. On 10 December, we announced that this funding will help Further Education Colleges to benefit from clean energy, through installation of Solar PV at a number of sites.

Additionally, on 11 December, GBE also launched a £300m supply chain fund for offshore wind and networks. All areas of the UK will be eligible for funding, meaning projects may be located anywhere in the UK, including in Northern Ireland, subject to Windsor Framework considerations.

The Government welcomes the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s report, following the committee’s inquiry into the cost of energy, and is grateful to the charities, think tanks, energy suppliers, members of the public, and all others who provided evidence to support it.

The Government is considering all recommendations set out in the report and will submit our response, which responds to each recommendation in turn, to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee later this month.

Drax must ensure its power generation complies with the terms of its subsidy agreements, currently provided for by the Renewables Obligation (RO) and Contract for Difference (CfD) schemes. These agreements include wide-ranging environmental protections addressing biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, legal and sustainable harvesting, and maintaining forest productivity, and require at least 70% of woody biomass to be sustainably sourced.

From 2027 these arrangements will be replaced by the new Low-Carbon Dispatchable CfD. This will require all of Drax’s generation to comply with strengthened sustainability standards, including an obligation to ensure that 100% of biomass used is sustainably sourced. We have also tightened the standard of supply chain greenhouse gas emissions and excluded primary feedstocks sourced from primary and old growth forests from receiving support payments.

An initial budget of £900 million is available for fixed-bottom offshore wind in Allocation Round 7, which is the largest ever initial budget for OFW. The Government has the ability to view unsuccessful bids and adjust the budget later, if it is good value for consumers. The Government has also confirmed budgets of £180m for floating offshore wind projects, £295 million for established technologies such as solar PV and onshore wind, and £15 million for emerging technologies. We expect the budgets and competitive bidding to drive a value for money outcome for billpayers.

Linking the UK and EU Emission Trading Schemes (ETSs) is expected to reduce costs for UK businesses by providing a cheaper path to net zero. Access to a larger, more liquid and stable carbon market will provide UK business with greater price certainty which will support investment.

Linking will also deliver a reduction in costs for UK businesses and lower barriers to trade through providing the conditions for an exemption from the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

Biomass generators must currently comply with the reporting requirements of the Renewables Obligation and Contract for Difference (CfD). These include reporting sustainability profiling data for biomass which includes the country of purchase of each fuel consignment. From 2027 under the new Low-Carbon Dispatchable CfD, enhanced reporting obligations will require Drax to report the country of origin, including the identification of each processing plant within the supply chain.

The Government has not made such an assessment specific to North Yorkshire. While the Government is tackling energy costs at every avenue, to drive growth, we also understand that some UK industries are struggling with the cost of energy.

The Government has a variety of schemes, already in place or due to be launched soon, that either directly support businesses by reducing energy costs or support them to reduce costs by making energy efficiencies and decarbonising.

Schemes that directly reduce energy costs include the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, which will reduce electricity prices by up to 25% for eligible businesses in electricity intensive manufacturing sectors in the Industrial Strategy and foundational sectors in their supply chain, and the British Industry Supercharger, which includes a series of targeted measures to bring down electricity policy costs for businesses in key energy intensive industries.

The Government is also providing funding to improve the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH), an online resource which will support SMEs to identify and implement changes to their energy use, resulting in decarbonisation and energy bill savings. Funding is also being provided to support a Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial, which will deliver a trial of online tools and services to support SMEs in hospitality across England to decarbonise and reduce their energy demand.

Ofgem, the regulator, sets funding and investment allowances for gas and electricity transmission and gas distribution networks through its price control process. As confirmed in their Final Determinations for RIIO-3, covering 2026-2031, there will be an estimated net increase in bills by 2031 of around £30 a year, or less than £3 per month, though these are costs expected to decline further over time. This investment is essential to maintain a safe, reliable network, that provides energy security, whilst we move to a cleaner, and ultimately more affordable, energy system.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously, including the cyber security of critical infrastructure. Maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply is a key priority. The Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, impose strict incident-reporting obligations on critical energy operators.

The Government has recently introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill. The Bill proposes expanding incident-reporting requirements, broadening the scope of reportable events, and enhancing the powers of regulators to oversee compliance and require remedial actions where necessary.

As of 30 October 2024, there were 4 BCSSS members in North East Somerset and Hanham. We do not have the breakdown between former miners and dependants.

The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published in October, sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions across all sectors of the economy on the pathway to net zero.

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero engages regularly on net zero with his colleagues in other departments.

Policy on domestic tourism is led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In 2023, tourism contributed £58.2bn GVA (2.5% of the UK economy) and directly employed 1.2 million people. DCMS works with VisitEngland, destinations, local visitor economy partnerships (LVEPs) and industry to support sustainable tourism practices. The government is committed to supporting the sector through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Plan.

The forthcoming Local Power Plan will be a joint document owned by GBE and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero which will outline our shared vision for the local and community energy sector.

We are continuing to develop the Local Power Plan with GBE and updates will be provided soon.

In 2023 there were 4.6 full time equivalent staff.

In 2024 there were 9.3.

In 2025 there were 9.3.

The number is lower for 2023 as the department was new and still recruiting.

While these staff members have social media content creation as part of their role, they deliver a range of services beyond this - from branding for new agencies to training videos for staff. Having the resource to do this work in-house is cheaper than outsourcing to agencies with taxpayer funds.

The Department takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously, including the cyber security of critical infrastructure. Maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply is a key priority.

The Department works closely with partners, including industry, to assess potential risks from cyber threats and their possible impacts on the availability and integrity of energy systems.

These risks are reflected in the National Risk Register, which includes three cyber-related risks owned by the Department. In partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department ensures threats are understood and appropriate mitigations implemented to maintain robust protections and resilience.

The Warm Homes Plan will set out a strategy to improve health outcomes through the upgrade of British buildings. This includes measures that mitigate the health risks associated with living in a cold home (such as respiratory disease), exposure to poor air quality as a result of gas boiler emissions, and overheating in hotter months. DESNZ will work with the Department for Health and Social Care, the NHS and local government to promote the delivery of home upgrades that will support vulnerable health groups. Our ambition is to upgrade 5 million homes this parliament, and the success of our programmes will be monitored and evaluated through the collection of scheme data.

Government is aware that support under the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme will end for existing landfill gas generators from April 2027, which could affect the commercial viability of these generators.

We recognise the importance of providing commercial clarity to the sector and will provide an update in the new year. That is why, as set out in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, Government is exploring the implementation of long-term methane capture schemes, with suitable transitional arrangements.

We recognise the importance of providing commercial clarity to the sector and will provide an update in the new year.

In February 2025, the Government consulted on expanding the existing Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme to households without a direct relationship with an energy supplier, which included houseboats. Despite support for the proposal, it was considered that any extension of support to people without a direct relationship with an energy supplier cannot be achieved within the existing Industry Initiatives budget.

Fuel price trends are monitored nationally and published in the Department’s weekly statistics on GOV.UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) oversee market transparency and compliance and publish quarterly and yearly reports on GOV.UK.

The Government publishes monthly delivery data on Gov.UK. The information sought regarding delivery of the ECO4 scheme can be found in the attached pdf and at

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics.

To the end of September 2025 there were around 101,500 meaures installed in 49,400 households under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. A summary of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund statistic can be found in the below table:

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund:

More information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-statistics-november-2025/summary-of-the-social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-statistics-november-2025.

Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery (LAD) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) was released in November 2025 and can be found in the second attached file. Delivery under the current Warm Homes: Local Grant and Social Housing Fund is currently ongoing and in progress.

Over this parliament the government plans to upgrade up to 5 million homes and cut energy bills for good.

The Calderdale Energy Park project is at the pre-application stage of the planning process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure under the 2008 Planning Act, and is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by June 2026, after which it will be subject to a full planning enquiry before it comes to the department for decision.

Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking decisions on nationally-significant energy applications for development consent, it would not be appropriate to comment on matters related to the project, as this could be seen as prejudicing the decision-making process.

The Government is working across departments on a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan to cut energy bills, strengthen energy security and reduce emissions. The Plan will accelerate the installation of efficient technologies such as heat pumps, heat networks, solar, home batteries and insulation, upgrading millions of homes this Parliament. We have committed almost £15 billion of investment to deliver this ambition. Further details, including funding allocations and delivery pathways, will be published soon.

The Government will ensure that lessons learned from the current ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme are taken forward through delivery of the Warm Homes Plan.

The government consulted on an extension to ECO4 earlier this year. DESNZ Ministers have now agreed to a 9-month extension to end December 2026; however, this is subject to cross-government and Parliamentary approval.

An extension would support the remediation process and allow for completion of any outstanding obligations. However, it would not be supported by funding or increased targets.

The extra £1.5 billion allocated to the Warm Homes Plan through the budget will be spent on low income households. Details on allocation will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan.

At the budget, the Chancellor agreed to subject any additional costs, including new levies, to enhanced scrutiny under a new framework to ensure they are affordable, represent value for money and do not impose unnecessary costs on households and businesses. The development of this new framework is underway with HM Treasury and we will provide an update in due course.

The extra £1.5 billion allocated to the Warm Homes Plan through the budget will be spent on low income households. Details on allocation will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan.

The government consulted on an extension to ECO4 earlier this year. DESNZ Ministers have now agreed to a 9-month extension to end December 2026; however, this is subject to cross-government and Parliamentary approval.

An extension would support the remediation process and allow for completion of any outstanding obligations. However, it would not be supported by funding or increased targets.

The Warm Homes Plan represents the biggest ever public investment in home upgrades. At the Autumn Budget on 26th November, the Chancellor announced an additional £1.5 billion of funding for the Warm Homes Plan, bringing total capital investment to almost £15 billion. This exceeds our manifesto commitment of £13.2 billion and is a major step forward in the government’s plans to upgrade up to 5 million homes over this Parliament and cut energy bills for good.

The government has made clear that it is committed to reform of the consumer protection system and, through the Warm Homes Plan, we will outline our offer for households to confidently and safely take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, home batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating.

In order to keep the level of reporting on businesses to a minimum, DESNZ does not collect information detailing the uptake of energy management improvements by businesses.

However, Buckinghamshire Business First is a local organisation that works closely with Buckinghamshire Council and has so far provided support to 3,600 businesses in the local area to date to help businesses reach net zero targets.

Small businesses can search for other local grant and advice schemes on the finance and support for businesses page on gov.uk.

The majority of the savings on the costs of domestic energy bills announced at the budget, including the removal of 75% of the domestic Renewable Obligation, will come off the costs of electricity so will benefit all households.

For the savings announced which will be coming off the gas bill, such as part of the ECO scheme cost, government intends to explore how we can further target these savings at electricity bills, meaning more households benefit. These policy costs do not apply currently to those on domestic heating oil.

The Feed-In Tariff scheme does not involve individual contracts between generators and government. Accredited generators may have entered into contracts with their energy suppliers in relation to their FIT payments, but their entitlement to those payments arises from legislation and the standard conditions of the electricity supply licence. Any changes to the indexation methodology would follow the statutory process for changing those conditions.

I confirm that the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero will publish a Reformed National Pricing delivery plan early next year. Some elements of Reformed National Pricing are already under way, including building network infrastructure, and we intend to proceed with other measures, such as reform of transmission charges, as soon as possible in this Parliament.

The consultation closed on 12 December. A government response to the consultation on indexation changes to the Feed-in Tariffs scheme is expected to be published in early 2026.

The Warm Homes Plan, which will be published soon will lower bills, strengthen our energy security, and reduce emissions by accelerating the installation of efficient new technologies like heat pumps, heat networks, solar, home batteries and insulation.

The Plan represents the biggest ever public investment in home upgrades. At the Autumn Budget on 26 November, the Chancellor announced an additional £1.5 billion of funding for the Warm Homes Plan, bringing total capital investment to almost £15 billion.

The Government has consulted on proposed changes to how support provided through the Feed-in Tariffs and Renewable Obligation schemes is adjusted for inflation. The consultation was accompanied by an analytical annex which set out the potential impacts of the policy. Updated analysis will be published alongside the Government Response next year.

The Welsh Government will administer the additional funding provided by Great British Energy. This will fund solar panels for schools, leisure centres and museums across Wales, as well as supporting a new scheme which will help public sector and communities complete projects such as solar canopies and battery energy storage.

Calculating Barnett consequentials of the Government's spending commitments is the responsibility of HM Treasury.

At almost £15 billion, the Warm Homes Plan is the single biggest public investment programme in energy efficiency in UK history. The Treasury has not yet confirmed the total Barnett consequential nor the specific appointment for Wales. More details on the Warm Homes Plan will be published soon.

As issues of energy efficiency, fuel poverty and heat are largely devolved Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have specific Net Zero strategies. We work closely with our counterparts in the Devolved Governments to ensure our strategies align.

PV battery installations under the Warm Homes: Local Grant Scheme have been temporarily paused while the Department carries out necessary assurance. Although PV batteries were announced as an eligible measure in June 2025, there is currently no MCS Product Standard, which is required under scheme guidance. As the Department remains focused on consumer protection, Grant Recipients have therefore been asked to pause any plans to install PV batteries across the schemes. The Department have been updating Grant Recipients this week (commencing 8^th December) and will continue to work at pace to resolve this issue.

The Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025 were debated in the House of Commons on 4 November 2025 and the House of Lords on 4 December 2025. The Regulations should be in place from 18 December 2025.

Once launched, our analysis suggests that households who own a car could save an average of around £40 a year.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ofgem on a range of issues.

Standing charges predominantly recover fixed costs that do not vary by energy use. This includes supplier’s operational costs and the cost of essential network maintenance and upgrades.

Levels of standing charges in the non-domestic market are a commercial decision for suppliers and are not subject to the Energy Price Cap, which only applies to the domestic market. We know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges, and we are committed to ensuring that standing charges are fair to all consumers.

The North Sea Transition Authority will publish detailed guidance on the application and assessment process for Transitional Energy Certificates in due course, including plans to ensure that the changes do not adversely impact seismic and other activity which is not for the purposes of oil and gas exploration.

The Budget took action to reduce energy bills for households. This will be delivered through the government funding 75% of the domestic cost of the legacy Renewables Obligation for the rest of this spending review period from 2026-27 to 2028-29 and ending the Energy Company Obligation.

Both these measures reduce electricity costs, and therefore benefit all households that have a domestic electricity account, regardless of their heating type. This will include the vast majority of heat network customers.

The government will consider how to further target the savings announced in the Budget towards electricity bills. The government will set out how it intends to deliver this through the Warm Homes Plan.

The department publishes official estimates of electricity prices within Quarterly Energy Prices. These statistics are published quarterly and provide our most recent estimates of domestic and non-domestic electricity prices. These include a time series, through which trends can be assessed.