Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on decarbonising heating in off-grid homes.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is making strong progress in supporting off-gas-grid homes to switch to cleaner heating.
In response to the Middle East situation, the Government increased grants available for heat pump installations to up to £9,000 for homes currently heated by oil or LPG.
In total the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has supported over 90,000 installations across England and Wales, with 49% of funding delivered to rural areas and 38% to off-grid areas. The average cost of a heat pump installation has fallen by 11% in real terms since the Scheme launched in 2022.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is also supporting low-income households living in EPC D-G homes, both on and off the gas grid, with energy performance improvements and low-carbon heating.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of off-grid homes which are suitable for a hydronic heat pump.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A home’s suitability for a heat pump depends on several factors such as sufficient internal and external space, peak current draw of the grid connection, and the home’s peak heat loss.
Evidence suggests the vast majority of GB homes have sufficient insulation and electricity connections to install a heat pump, considering developments like heat pumps operating with higher flow temperatures enabling installation in less well insulated homes.
We have commissioned research on understanding different approaches to decarbonising complex housing archetypes, including alternative low carbon heating solutions, and expect it to be published in due course.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Office for Gas and Electricity Markets moving to weekly budget monitoring of the Green Gas Support Scheme, in the context of levels of funding for the sector in recent years.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As the administrator of the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS), Ofgem is responsible for operational matters. Under regulation 4(14) of the GGSS regulations, Ofgem has a statutory duty to publish aggregate information relating to (but not limited to) applications, registrations, and budget on a quarterly basis.
From 8 June 2026, Ofgem has updated their website with both allocated and remaining GGSS budget on a weekly basis, providing prospective applicants with up-to-date information.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the cumulative capacity of applications now queued by Ofgem is in relation to the Green Gas Support Scheme since the scheme reached its budget cap.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As of 2 September 2026, there are 15 tariff guarantee applications in the budget queue (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/green-gas-support-scheme-and-green-gas-levy/applicants) and these have a combined maximum initial capacity of 199,285,200 m3. This is subject to change based on ongoing queue movement and there may be recent applications currently under review which have not yet been allocated budget or entered the budget queue.
In line with regulations, the Department will publish the GGSS budgets and corresponding levy rate by 31 December for the following scheme year.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the future budget of the Green Gas Support Scheme.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As of 2 September 2026, there are 15 tariff guarantee applications in the budget queue (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/green-gas-support-scheme-and-green-gas-levy/applicants) and these have a combined maximum initial capacity of 199,285,200 m3. This is subject to change based on ongoing queue movement and there may be recent applications currently under review which have not yet been allocated budget or entered the budget queue.
In line with regulations, the Department will publish the GGSS budgets and corresponding levy rate by 31 December for the following scheme year.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the contribution of domestic green gas production to UK energy security.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that domestically produced biomethane can strengthen energy resilience by displacing imported gas with a low-carbon alternative and reducing exposure to volatile international gas markets. The latest Department data shows that 5.8 TWh of biomethane was injected into the UK gas grid in 2025, equal to about 1% of natural gas demand (Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2026 Chapter 4).
The Biomass Strategy 2023 set out that 30 – 40 TWh of biomethane production in 2050 could support a cost-effective route to net zero. It could also play an important role in reducing future reliance on imported gas.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Government plans to proceed with the zero rating of biomethane on the UK ETS.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises biomethane as a practical and cost-effective way of contributing to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) applies a zero emissions factor to combustion of biomethane where supplied directly to ETS installations. Where biomethane is injected into the gas grid, there is not currently a mechanism in the UK ETS to ensure biomethane is accounted for separately.
The UK ETS Authority is considering whether and how the Scheme could account for biomethane injected into the gas grid and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration she has made of the potential merits of extending the Green Gas Support Scheme to new applications beyond 2028.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The GGSS budget is set to balance delivery of the intended benefits of biomethane with affordability for bill payers. In the context of the original budget envelope for the Green Gas Support Scheme being fully allocated, we are carefully considering our approach to budget setting for the GGSS, including the case for supporting new applications from 1 April 2028.
The Department is aware of the need to provide certainty on this as soon as possible.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of NESO Future Energy Scenarios' ambition of achieving 30TWh of domestic renewable gas production by 2035.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is aware of a range of evidence showing that increasing biomethane deployment is a cost-effective route to delivering net zero, whilst also offering wider system benefits, such as waste management. This includes the Biomass Strategy 2023 estimate of 30-40TWh of biomethane production in 2050.
The Department is carefully considering this evidence to inform future support for the biomethane sector.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports by the Green Gas Taskforce, the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association and others, that the most cost-effective route to net zero requires increases in the production of biomethane in the coming years.
Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is aware of a range of evidence showing that increasing biomethane deployment is a cost-effective route to delivering net zero, whilst also offering wider system benefits, such as waste management. This includes the Biomass Strategy 2023 estimate of 30-40TWh of biomethane production in 2050.
The Department is carefully considering this evidence to inform future support for the biomethane sector.