Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they will provide to residents of areas covered by the hydrogen heating pilot who decide to opt out of the programme and operate on electric power.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Last year the Government published a framework of consumer protections for those in the village trial area, with which the Gas Distribution Networks must comply. This sets out that the GDNs must treat all residents in the hydrogen village trial area fairly, including those who choose an alternative heating technology. No one will be expected to pay for the installation or maintenance of appliances or pay more for heating than they would if they remained on natural gas.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Office for Product Safety and Standards is sufficiently staffed and skilled to enforce mandatory recyclability labelling requirements.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has agreed, in principle, to act as a National Regulator for the new regulations on mandatory recycling labelling, which form part of proposed Producer Responsibility Obligations under the Environment Act 2021. No final decision has been made that OPSS shall adopt this enforcement role, but should OPSS become the regulator it will be funded to ensure the necessary resources, including suitably qualified staff, are available.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the UK’s geothermal industry and the role of the Contracts for Difference scheme in supporting new developments.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government supports the development of geothermal projects provided it can be done at an acceptable cost to consumers, and the most promising use case in the UK appears to be for heat. Government is supporting the development of low-carbon heat networks and thereby building its capability to harness heat from sources such as geothermal energy. Projects generating electricity from geothermal heat are able to bid into the Contracts for Difference scheme.
The Government is also supporting a report seeking evidence on geothermal opportunities in the UK, which will involve gathering industry’s views through stakeholder workshops and interviews.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have to show that the £100 Alternative Fuel Payment provides equivalent support to off-grid customers as the Energy Price Guarantee.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has doubled to £200 the level of support for households that use alternative fuels, such as heating oil, LPG, coal or biomass, to heat their homes. This support will be delivered as soon as possible this winter. This is in recognition of the cost-of-living pressures caused by these rising fuel costs.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will provide further detail on how and when heat network customers can expect to receive the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund rebate and the Alternative Fuel Payment.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) Alternative Funding will provide a £400 discount on energy bills for the small percentage of households that will not be reached through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. Eligibility, timescales and method of delivery will be announced in the coming weeks.
Heat network consumers receive support through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) and will not receive the Alternative Fuel Payment, which has been designed to support households using alternative fuels. As the EBRS will be scaled back from April 2023 the Government will bring forward a route to deliver bespoke support for those on heat networks. Further details will be published shortly.