Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with (a) Ripple Energy and (b) the administrators of Ripple Energy on protections for the customers of Ripple Energy’s cooperative energy projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much his Department spent on redesigning the logo for Great British Energy in 2025.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy’s branding and logo were developed in-house with government resources.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 help ensure that (a) heat pumps and (b) other renewable heating solutions are (i) accessible and (ii) affordable.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under the Government’s Warm Homes Plan, policies including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Local Grant and Energy Company Obligation are delivering financial support for low carbon heating. Heat pump installations are also zero-rated for VAT.
The Government will also amend Permitted Development Rights, removing the 1m rule for air source heat pump installations in England.
We expect most properties will ultimately switch to heat pumps, with evidence showing they are widely suitable across UK housing archetypes. The Government will keep this position under review as the evidence base on possible alternatives develops.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 help ensure that the (a) workforce, (b) skills of the workforce and (c) funding is adequate to support the roll-out of his Department's retro-fitting schemes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has invested over £25 million to establish three Skills Training Competitions and the Heat Training Grant, which subsidise 33,000 retrofit training opportunities. The Heat Training Grant is on track to train 10,000 trained heat pump and heat network installers by April this year. These initiatives support the delivery of the Department’s retrofit schemes. The Government will continue to work with industry to facilitate a competent and robust retrofit supply chain in which businesses can grow. Further detail will be set out in our Warm Homes Plan later this year.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) community groups that provide energy efficiency improvements receive adequate funding to implement his Department's policies as set out in the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. We will partner with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. We will set out full details of our Warm Homes Plan in due course.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 through the Warm Homes Plan to help ensure that (a) homes occupied by low-income families and (b) all homes meet high energy efficiency standards.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has pledged to take action to stand with tenants and deliver the safety and security of warmer, cheaper homes, and has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1bn of this allocated to 2025/2026. We have published our consultation on improving energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector in England and Wales, containing proposals that could lift up to half a million households in England out of fuel poverty by 2030. Further details on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reclaiming any portion of the subsidies provided to Drax Power Limited, in the context of the finding by Ofgem that Drax had misreported data in relation to their annual profiling submission between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, published on 29 August 2024.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Ofgem did not find any evidence to suggest that Drax had been issued with subsidies incorrectly. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made representations to Drax on the increase in whistleblower reports recorded by the organisation between 2022 and 2023.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government takes reports of complaints very seriously. Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2024 to Question 3784 on Solar Power: Housing, if he will make it his policy to regulate the Smart Export Guarantee market to ensure that (a) residential and (b) small commercial exporters of energy are paid the same price per unit as large commercial providers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To encourage innovation and competition, the Smart Export Guarantee is a market-led mechanism in which energy suppliers, rather than the government, set both the tariff levels and structure. The scheme’s success should therefore be gauged by the diversity and creativity of the offerings. To date there is a good range of offers for both residential and commercial exporters which is evident in Ofgem’s latest SEG annual report (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/smart-export-guarantee-seg/smart-export-guarantee-seg-contacts-guidance-and-resources). This demonstrates the scheme’s growth in terms of tariff variety, innovation, and prices. We will continue to keep this under review.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that households with solar panels and battery storage receive the rate of wholesale electricity as payment for excess electricity exported to the grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Both rooftop solar and batteries are important for getting to net zero. Households and businesses with solar panels can benefit through significantly reduced electricity bills. They can also export the excess energy they generate to the grid via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). This is a market led mechanism where electricity supply companies set their own export tariffs. As the SEG is market led, those with solar panels can shop around for the best prices.