Home Insulation: Health and Mortality Rates
Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford Excerpts(1 month, 3 weeks ago)
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Lord Callanan (Con)
The noble Baroness makes a very good point, and I suspect that she speaks from personal experience. Improvements in energy conservation for homes in listed or conservation areas is a difficult issue. We recently carried out a joint study with DLUHC and Historic Houses, and provided guidance for home owners wanting to do that. She will be delighted to know that you can get well-insulated, double-glazed sash windows to replace the originals.
Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford (Con)
My Lords, those with respiratory conditions face life-limiting risks from fuel poverty and poor insulation, and those risks are obviously triggered by weather factors. Is the Minister aware of the potential of AI-based weather models to predict and manage the risks faced by those with health conditions, including prioritising those who would benefit most from the insulation programmes? Will he engage with partners such as the Alan Turing Institute and the Met Office to explore the opportunities to harness these technologies for public benefit?
Hydrogen Heating
Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford Excerpts(5 months ago)
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Lord Callanan (Con)
The noble Baroness is absolutely correct. We have set out in great detail what the transition plan looks like. As I said in my Answer, electrification—heat networks in particular—will play a very important role in the decarbonisation of heat.
Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford (Con)
My Lords, among the more controversial recommendations of the report was a very sensible recommendation to set clear resilience standards and better maintenance practices for all infrastructure sectors. As the Minister’s department considers the report, will he pay particular attention to those recommendations?
Lord Callanan (Con)
My noble friend makes a very good point. We will of course fully consider those recommendations alongside the views on hydrogen heating.