Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 tariffs with night-time low electricity pricing for people with (a) electric vehicles and (b) solar panels.
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 enable consumers, including electric vehicle owners and those using solar panels, to consume energy at off peak times. This benefits all consumers by reducing the need for additional grid capacity.
More generally, we want to see the market offering new, innovative products and services that will help enable consumers to lower their bills, get a better service and support the transition to net zero. The setting of these tariffs is a commercial matter for suppliers.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce non-compliance fines in the Clean Heat Market Mechanism on the UK's ability to meet carbon budgets.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government believes that the reduction to the payment-in-lieu for the Clean Heat Market Mechanism for the first baselining year will provide manufacturers with additional capacity to adapt to the scheme’s introduction, while still providing an incentive to invest in the transition. An impact assessment was published on 21 November 2024 alongside the draft statutory instrument. The adjustment to the payment-in-lieu for the introductory year has not changed the Department's assessment of expected carbon savings from heat pump installations over the scheme’s lifetime. The Government will keep the payment-in-lieu level, like all scheme parameters, under review for future years.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 it his policy to return non-compliance fines for the clean heat market mechanism to the level proposed for 2026 in the document entitled Clean Heat Market Mechanism Consultation: Summary of responses received and government response, published on 30 March 2023.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has made the decision to reduce the level of the payment-in-lieu for the Clean Heat Market Mechanism from the previously proposed £3000 per missing heat pump credit to £500 for the first baselining year, in order to provide industry with additional capacity to adjust to the scheme’s introduction. No decisions have been taken about this or other scheme parameters for future years. The Government will keep the effectiveness of the payment level under close review and will consult on whether and how it should evolve for future years.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing non-compliance fines in the Clean Heat Market Mechanism on the uptake of heat pumps.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government believes that the reduction to the payment-in-lieu for the Clean Heat Market Mechanism for the first baselining year will provide manufacturers with additional capacity to adapt to the scheme’s introduction, while still providing an incentive to invest in the transition. An impact assessment was published on 21 November 2024 alongside the draft statutory instrument. The government is confident that the targeted retrofit heat pump installations for the first scheme year can be achieved but will keep the payment-in-lieu level, like all scheme parameters, under review for future years.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 improve the energy efficiency of homes for winter 2024-25.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are multiple targeted schemes in place to deliver energy efficiency measures to low income and fuel poor households. Current schemes include the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS), the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), and the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG).
For this winter, support is also available through the Warm Home Discount scheme which provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on providing additional support for households with energy bills in winter 2024-25.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government and industry have worked together to deliver a £500m Winter Support Commitment for customers, and we applaud suppliers stepping up on this matter. I also meet regularly with energy suppliers to outline the Government’s expectations of the standard of service that should be provided to their customers, including supporting vulnerable consumers and those struggling to pay their bills this winter.
Additional energy suppliers are delivering Government support this winter through the Warm Home Discount, providing an annual £150 rebate off energy bills for eligible low-income households.
As part of its Warm Homes Plan, the Government have committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency.
At the Autumn Budget 2024, my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that an additional £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales. This builds on the previous commitment of £421 million in England to extend the HSF until 31 March 2025.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to provide vulnerable households with emergency home insulation in winter 2024-25.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We recently announced the next steps on our Warm Homes Plan, which will see 300,000 homes upgraded in the next year.
The government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, through the Warm Homes Plan. With £1 billion of this allocated to next year.
Our ambitious Plan will upgrade five million homes by investing in insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating, helping to make them cheaper and cleaner to run.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 establishing local supply rights to allow smaller-scale renewable energy schemes to sell their power directly to local customers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The ability to access local energy supply is an important part of our energy system. Some suppliers already offer local tariffs, and other products and services are available that provide community benefits.
Ofgem has a consultation open at the moment on innovation in the retail market which aims to progress a conversation on the key barriers and enablers of retail innovation. Specifically, the consultation focuses on regulatory routes to market and presents options to help enable new innovative products and services that benefit consumers, including local and small-scale generation. Officials will continue to have conversations with Ofgem on this topic over the coming months.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of progress on meeting targets to end fuel poverty by 2030.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty. We are currently reviewing the fuel poverty strategy and engaging with stakeholders as part of this process. We will publish a consultation on a new strategy in due course. The Secretary of State has already announced the launch of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant, as well as the intention to consult on new minimum energy efficiency standards in the social and private rented sectors.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of changes in the number of (a) children and (b) pensioners living in fuel poverty since 1 January 2024.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There were an estimated 3.17 million households in fuel poverty in England in 2023 and this is projected to decrease to 3.12 million in 2024 based on assumptions of economic factors and government policy as at January 2024. These statistics are taken from the published annual fuel poverty statistics published in February 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics.
The change in the number of households in fuel poverty with children, by age group and by employment status in England can be found in the published 2023 fuel poverty trends tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fuel-poverty-trends-2024. Updated Fuel Poverty statistics relating to 2024 will be published in March 2025.