Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support households with instability in the price of heating oil.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households, including the need to purchase heating oil or LPG in bulk and their exposure to sudden price movements.
Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs, including £3.8 million for Wales. Using this funding, the Welsh Government is providing a one-off £200 payment to low-income households that use heating oil or LPG and receive support through the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
For those considering alternatives to oil heating, the Government is supporting the installation of low-carbon heating through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, for eligible households in England and Wales. A time-limited higher grant of £9,000 is available for eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG heating systems, helping households and small businesses most exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices to switch to low-carbon heating.
In addition, the Government published its formal response to the CMA heating oil report on 13 October, and is taking forward proposals to regulate the heating oil sector for the first time, making sure households who use heating oil are treated fairly. The full Government response is available here:
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help protect consumers who require LPG for home heating from global price instability.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Households that rely on LPG may be eligible for support through the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Guidance issued to local authorities makes clear that crisis payments may be used to assist with energy costs associated with any fuel used for domestic heating, cooking or lighting, including bulk LPG and portable gas cylinders.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individual circumstances and determining the most appropriate form of support, in accordance with the Fund’s guidance and its person-centred, needs-based approach.
In addition, all domestic electricity consumers will benefit from measures announced at the Budget, under where the price cap has fallen by 7% and will be fixed until July.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure rural households have access to adequate smart meter network coverage.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is the organisation responsible for the smart metering network in Great Britain, and is obligated to provide smart meter network connectivity to at least 99.25% of premises across GB. The Government is working closely with the DCC to ensure that smart meter connectivity can be extended to the small minority of unserved properties in all regions, including rural areas, as soon as reasonably possible.
One such solution, currently being rolled out, is Virtual WAN (VWAN) which involves using customers’ broadband connection, (with consent), to carry smart metering communications.