Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what strategies are in place to address the impacts of escalating energy prices on the cost of living.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
Tackling affordability is this government’s number one priority. The Government acted at last year’s Budget by taking on average £150 of costs off energy bills, with those decisions now factored into bills for the years to come.
The recent rise in the price cap announced by Ofgem will be deeply concerning news for families. That is why we are doubling down on our mission for clean power to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power to bring down bills for good.
In addition, around 6 million households in Britain will have benefitted from our expanded £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, which will remain in place for the rest of the decade. We understand that the developments in the Middle East are concerning: we will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the overall cost of net zero policies to the British economy.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The costs of climate action are far outweighed by the cost of inaction.
The government’s Impact Assessment (IA) for Carbon Budget 7 estimates the net cost to deliver net zero over the period 2025-2050 at around £755 billion, with the total quantified benefits estimated to be £1.62 trillion, delivering a net present value of £865 billion.
The costs include a mix of private and public sector investment we estimate to upgrade infrastructure, transport and heating systems.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of government subsidies for heat pumps go to households with an income above the national mean.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The government does not collect data on recipient income across all heat pump subsidy schemes. Some schemes, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), are not means-tested, so it is not possible to determine the proportion of funding going to households with an income above the national mean. Evaluations of government schemes that instal heat pumps (e.g. BUS, ECO) have published characteristics of scheme participants including income.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reconsider the ban on new oil and gas production licences for the North Sea in the light of the conflict in Iran.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The government set out details of how it will deliver on its commitment not to issue further oil and gas licences to explore new fields in the North Sea Future Plan. The government has no intention of reconsidering this.
It typically takes up to 10 years for new licences to explore new fields to lead to production. Any additional supply from such fields would make only a marginal difference to overall production. It would not change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas. It would have no material impact on prices nor on security of supply.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase gas storage in the UK, in light of the current conflict in Iran and the wider Middle East.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The UK benefits from diverse gas supply sources, including the UK Continental Shelf, pipeline imports from reliable partners such as Norway, and significant LNG import capability, which limits reliance on any single source.
We are confident this diverse portfolio will continue to meet the country’s energy needs, as it has during previous geopolitical events.
The Government does, however, recognise that the energy transition may change future infrastructure requirements, so we recently consulted on options to safeguard gas security, including measures to encourage storage investment. A response will follow in due course.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support consumers with energy price increases as a result of the war in Iran.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The Government recognises that families and businesses across the country will see the recent global events and once again be concerned about the impact on their energy bills. We continue to monitor the situation closely and we are looking at what further support may be needed. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK
At the Autumn Budget we committed to taking money off energy bills and we have. Ofgem has confirmed that the price cap will fall by 7% or £117 annually for the period covering April to June. The price cap for that period is fixed and will not change.
In addition to this, around 6 million families are benefitting from the expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount, and through the Warm Homes Plan the Government is delivering the biggest investment in home upgrades in British history.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what types of building will be exempt from the proposed new energy performance certificate standards for rental properties.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
The private rented sector minimum energy efficiency standard regulations apply to all privately rented homes that are let on specific types of tenancy agreement and legally required to have an Energy Performance Certificate. There are a number of exemptions available through the current regulations. We recently consulted on the suitability of current exemptions and will make some amendments and additions to improve the exemptions regime when the new standard applies.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the new energy performance certificates methodology will take into account higher-rated water heaters and infrared heating.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
Technologies for which we have already obtained sufficient evidence – including heat batteries for water heating – will be supported at launch of HEM: EPC. Other technologies will be added over time via the new innovative product recognition process.
Government is working with manufacturers to ensure that infrared systems can be represented fully and accurately. To enable this, further work is required from industry to develop a robust, validated test method for measuring their operative temperature.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield on 30 October (HL11095), what impact assessment, if any, they have conducted for wall insulation schemes.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government energy efficiency schemes deliver a range of measures. The government conducts impact assessments for its energy efficiency schemes, including those covering wall insulation.
The government also publishes regular evaluation reports for our energy efficiency schemes, including schemes that have conducted wall insulation.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value for money of existing tax-payer funded energy efficiency schemes.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government regularly assesses the value for money of its energy efficiency schemes through published impact assessments.
For example, the government has published an Impact Assessment (which is attached) for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) from 2022/23 to 2024/25 which projected a net present social value of £310m demonstrating strong economic and social benefits. Similar assessments are undertaken for other schemes, to ensure effective use of public funds.
These evaluations consider costs, benefits, and delivery performance to maximise outcomes for households and taxpayers.