Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 14 May (HL Deb cols 2301), what assessment they have made of the results of the Green Homes Finance Accelerator programme, and what plans they have to take forward and scale up any of its initiatives.
Answered by Baroness Curran
The Green Home Finance Accelerator programme, supports the development of innovative green finance products and services that help homeowners cover the upfront cost of decarbonising their homes.
Following a competitive process, 26 projects were awarded funding to research and develop their product over a six-month Discovery Phase. 13 projects were successful in securing a share of approximately £16 million to pilot their products with homeowners across the UK until June 2025. The results of the pilot phase for each project will be published later in the year and the Government will use the findings of these to inform future policy development.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to produce a warm homes plan, as set out in the Labour Party Manifesto 2024; and when they expect to publish it.
Answered by Baroness Curran
The Government will publish a Warm Homes Plan in due course, this will set out how we will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future.
As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1bn of this allocated to 2025/2026.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 15 May (HL7063–7), what plans they have to monitor the amount and types of land that solar panels are installed on in the future.
Answered by Baroness Curran
The Department currently monitors the geographical location of solar developments through the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). We plan to broaden the scope of this database to provide information on the area and types of agricultural land used by existing solar projects and those in the planning pipeline.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 14 May (HL Deb cols 2301), what plans they have to introduce low-interest loans for landlords to install energy efficiency measures, similar to schemes in Scotland.
Answered by Baroness Curran
Private finance can play a key role in helping us achieve our decarbonisation ambitions. As part of the Government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan, officials are exploring the role of incentives and private finance for households to support homeowners, including landlords, with the upfront costs of energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon energy technology. This includes engaging with the finance sector on the potential for low-interest loans.
After the spending review, we will be publishing the Warm Homes Plan which will set out further details.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 14 May (HL Deb cols 2301), what plans they have to introduce property-linked finance for energy efficiency improvements.
Answered by Baroness Curran
The Government recognises the important role that private finance can play in supporting with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements and low carbon heating. We are reviewing property-linked finance schemes implemented in countries such as the United States, Australia and Canada. We will continue to explore options for working with the private sector, including banks and building societies, to scale up private finance and support owners and businesses to future-proof their buildings.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what powers they have to alter the minimum mandated energy standards for the private rented sector.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Energy Act 2011 is the primary legislation which gives government the powers to amend the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, which set minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector. Government has launched a consultation on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector on 7th February 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult on standards for improving energy efficiency in the social housing sector.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero announced on 23 September 2024 that the Government will consult on our plans to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards for social rented homes. The Government will publish a consultation on introducing minimum energy efficiency standards for the social rented sector in due course. This could take social homes out of fuel poverty, cutting energy bills by making homes cheaper to heat. A minimum energy efficiency standard for the social rented sector would form part of the Decent Homes Standard.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Callanan on 28 November 2023 when he stated that "we are reviewing our membership ... I am sure that we will want to act as quickly as possible" (HL Deb col 1018), when they intend to reach a decision about withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament and will inform Parliament of the outcome in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward the remaining funding for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to give the social housing sector certainty to plan for decarbonising their housing stock beyond 2025.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) is a 10-year, £3.8bn 2019 manifesto commitment. £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028 in addition to the £6.6 billion allocated in this Parliament to energy efficiency and clean heat in buildings. Conversations are continuing with HM Treasury to assess SHDF’s share of the £6bn to be made available from 2025 to 2028, and provide long-term funding certainty, support the growth of supply chains and ensure we can scale up our delivery over time.