Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pre-configured smart meters on radio teleswitch service customers who are unable to switch to a smart meter.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem and the Department have been clear that they expect suppliers to arrange a suitable replacement metering solution for their RTS customers in a timely manner ahead of the switch off.
In the few circumstances where a Wide Area Network (WAN) connection cannot currently be established, pre-configured smart meters can be installed in households with RTS meters. A pre-configured smart meter operates in a similar way to an analogue meter, recording energy usage accurately, and can provide a similar service to what former RTS customers are used to, including delivering electricity tariffs such as Economy 7 or Economy 10.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the Data Communications Company expand smart meter network coverage in the context of the Radio Teleswitch switch off.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department and Ofgem have been clear that they expect energy suppliers to promptly arrange suitable replacement metering solutions for their remaining RTS customers.
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is examining options for premises not currently able to get smart metering network coverage as part of its Future Connectivity strategy, which includes a range of technical solutions.
Where an RTS household does not currently receive coverage, energy suppliers can provide pre-configured smart meters, which operate like analogue meters, until a WAN connection can be established.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Ofgem and (b) energy suppliers on (i) providing additional financial support and (ii) targeted protection for vulnerable households with increased costs associated with the replacement of radio teleswitch service meters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department attends the Industry Taskforce on the Radio Teleswitch Service, which was convened by Ofgem last year and is led by Energy UK. The Taskforce’s Call to Action in October 2024 highlighted that energy suppliers should fast-track meter upgrades to RTS customers, particularly prioritising vulnerable customers, ahead of the switch-off.
Ofgem has also consulted on plans to introduce new RTS specific licence conditions for energy suppliers. These propose that suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide an energy tariff that leaves all their customers ‘no worse off’ than before once their RTS meter is replaced.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the transition from the radio teleswitch service on households in (a) rural and (b) remote areas; and what steps he is taking to ensure that these households are not disproportionately affected.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department and Ofgem have been clear that they expect energy suppliers to promptly arrange suitable replacement metering solutions for their remaining RTS customers.
Suppliers should sufficiently resource themselves to ensure they have installer workforce capacity to replace RTS meters in rural and remote areas. This could involve measures such as deploying roaming teams of installers in areas with low installer capacity.
Ofgem has consulted on new licence conditions which will seek to ensure consumers are treated fairly and have an alternative metering arrangement following the cessation of RTS.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has set a financial target for the reduction of energy bills by 2030.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is determined to cut bills as far and as fast as we can.
In October 2023, independent experts modelled the effect of a clean power system on electricity bills. Based on the latest renewable generation costs available at the time, they found electricity bills could be up to £300 cheaper by 2030 when compared with the cost of electricity in July-September 2023, which was higher than today’s levels.
The independent NESO set out pathways to a clean power system in 2030, and confirmed it was deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions his Department has had with the utility companies on offering off-peak electricity prices at the same hourly rate applicable for charging an electric vehicle for people with electric storage heaters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is supportive of electricity suppliers offering tariffs which incentivise consumers, including electric vehicle owners, to consume energy at off peak times, as this benefits all consumers by reducing the need for additional grid capacity.
The Government continues to work with Ofgem to ensure that tariffs, such as Economy 7 tariffs used by households with storage heaters, are priced fairly. This includes ensuring there is an appropriate price cap for Economy 7 tariffs.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether guidance on community benefit funds for electricity transmission infrastructure will include transmission projects where (a) voltage and (b) capacity upgrades are required resulting in additional impacts on local communities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is committed to ensuring that communities who live near clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits. This includes publishing guidance on community funds this quarter, which will set out government’s expectations for communities living near to electricity transmission network infrastructure.
The guidance aims to balance the need for consistency without being overly prescriptive and unintentionally omitting projects or infrastructure where communities should be entitled to benefits.
We aim to publish this guidance in due course.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using renewable liquid fuels as an alternative to mains gas for households unable to connect to the grid.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions
However, the Government recognise that RLHFs could play a limited role in decarbonising heat off the gas grid.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available to households with legacy gas heating systems for the cost of (a) repairs and (b) replacements; and what steps he is taking to (i) encourage and (ii) support those households to transition to zero-carbon heating systems.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Company Obligation delivers household energy efficiency retrofits across Great Britain. Subject to eligibility, these retrofits may include measures such as heating controls, insulation, or improvements to legacy heating systems.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme supports property owners in England and Wales with grants up to £7,500, to replace fossil fuel heating systems with heat pumps and biomass boilers, with property owners in Scotland supported via the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan scheme.
The Home Upgrade Grant supports lower-income households off the gas grid, and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant, support social housing providers and tenants, and lower-income homeowners.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of EV charging infrastructure in (i) rural and (ii) remote areas and (b) potential impact of that infrastructure on the phasing out of cars with internal combustion engines.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. As of 1st of January 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of over 73,334 publicly available charging devices (including 14,448 rapid charging devices).
The matter is devolved to the Scottish Government. In England, the Government is also delivering the £381 million Local EV Infrastructure Fund which supports local authorities to work with industry to significantly transform the availability of affordable public chargepoints across the country, including in rural and remote areas. At least 100,000 new public charging points are planned to be installed in England by local authorities under the fund.