Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their strategy is for the (1) retrofitting, and (2) fitting of air conditioning in homes.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Events in the Middle East have highlighted the importance of improving the energy efficiency of homes and reducing households' exposure to fossil fuel markets. That is why the Government's £15 billion Warm Homes Plan sets out the strategy for upgrading up to five million homes by 2030. It will support measures including insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and batteries. Support includes direct grants for low-income and fuel-poor households, low-interest finance and higher minimum energy efficiency standards for rented homes.
Although passive measures are being prioritised, the Government recognises that, in some cases, active cooling will be needed to protect those most vulnerable to overheating. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme therefore provides £2,500 grants towards eligible air-to-air heat pumps, sometimes referred to as air conditioning units, which can provide active cooling.