Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 (a) ensure that energy consumers receive a reliable electricity supply and (b) reduce power cuts due to issues with the electricity distribution network.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Maintaining a secure electricity supply is a key priority for Government. DESNZ works closely with industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience the energy infrastructure, networks and assets to reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents.
Ownership of a Distribution Network Operator (DNO) requires appropriate levels of investment to ensure power flows reliably, safely and securely. All DNOs are regulated by Ofgem, which sets annual targets for customer interruptions and customer minutes lost; DNOs must report their performance against these measures to Ofgem which rewards or penalises operators appropriately.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 revising the compensation scheme for electricity consumers to include compensation for the inconvenience caused by power cuts of shorter duration where these occur repeatedly.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government expects energy companies to deliver the best support to customers. Ofgem monitors and enforces the Guaranteed Standards of Performance. Ofgem also regularly reviews and updates their compensation arrangements. The most recent changes were made following the Storm Arwen Review which came into effect on 1 September 2023 and enable higher levels of compensation at more regular intervals. Ofgem regulates Distribution Network Operators through a price control process, which includes incentives to reduce the frequency and duration of power interruptions. For the next price control period (2028–2033), Ofgem is reviewing whether amendments are required to minimise repeated or prolonged interruptions.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 sufficient energy supply to meet demand in the next 10 years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great Britain is expected to have sufficient supplies of electricity and gas to meet consumers’ demands over the short and long-term (Statutory Security of Supply Report 2024). The government’s mission is to secure our energy supply with home-grown, clean power – and we have set out the steps to achieve this in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. These include: cleaning up a dysfunctional grid system by prioritising the most important projects; speeding up decisions on planning permission by empowering planners to prioritise critical energy infrastructure; and expanding the renewable auction process to stop delays and get more projects connected.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the boiler upgrade scheme to include (a) heat batteries and (b) other low carbon heating technologies.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to incentivising properties to transition to cleaner, affordable heating. At present, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, does not apply to alternative electric heating technologies, such as heat batteries. We are targeting support at technologies, like heat pumps, that current evidence suggests offer the greatest potential to decarbonise our buildings.
However, the Government will keep its position on alternative electric heating technologies under review and make further assessments as the evidence base develops. Our Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timetable is for adopting Standard Assessment Procedure 10.2, in the context of the Home Upgrade Grant 2 project; and whether residents that have missed out on solar batteries will be able to apply for their system to be upgraded.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are introducing improvements to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) modelling in early 2025, known as Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure 10 (RdSAP 10), to improve accuracy. EPC assessors will soon be able to record if a consumer has installed solar batteries. The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG 2) will run until March 2025 and will be succeeded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). Details of the policy on retreating low-income households that received upgrades under HUG 2 were published on 23rd September as part of the WH:LG guidance.