Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 role of heat batteries in decarbonising domestic heating.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through our Warm Homes Plan we are focused on rolling out home upgrades across the country, with a focus on heat pump installation and fabric solutions.
In many cases heat batteries are less efficient than heat pumps, however they do not require outside space, and can often be cheaper to install in some circumstances.
We are currently exploring the role heat batteries could play in the future.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment has he made of the of the costs faced by (a) electricians and (b) installers in obtaining necessary certifications for renewable energy solutions.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Short courses for electricians training to install EV chargers and solar PV are estimated to cost £300 and £650 (+ VAT) respectively. For heat pump and heat network courses, the Heat Training Grant offers trainees a £500 discount, which covers most of the course costs.
Contractors installing heat pumps and solar PV within Government schemes are required to be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified. The overall cost of MCS membership can be over £1,000 a year. Many installers are also members of Competent Person Schemes.
The Department will continue to assess the cost of training and certification.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 encourage businesses to (a) prepare for changes to the minimum EPC rating for commercial properties in 2030 and (b) help the UK meet its net zero targets.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has consulted on raising non-domestic Private Rented Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and we are aiming to publish the Government response early next year. We will publish updated guidance to support landlords with compliance where necessary.
The Government has also introduced a number of policies to encourage businesses to help meet net zero targets. This includes Climate Change Agreements which provides business rates exemptions and tax discounts in exchange for businesses meeting energy and carbon reduction targets, the Business Energy Advice Service for SMEs which is currently being piloted in the West Midlands, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which provides up to £7,500 off the installation of new heat pumps and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund providing grants for energy efficiency and deep decarbonisation projects.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 encourage businesses to (a) engage with knowledge-sharing platforms and (b) share case studies on (i) improving energy efficiency and (ii) using renewable energy.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to engaging and supporting business small and large through the transition to net zero. We know that SMEs can face particular decarbonisation challenges and it is important they have access to reliable information and advice to help them take action to reduce their emissions.
We encourage small and medium-sized businesses to visit the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides advice to reduce their emissions and case studies, highlighting examples of businesses taking action. It is run by the Broadway Initiative, in partnership with government and a coalition of business organisations.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 provide (a) financial and (b) advisory support to help commercial property owners meet the new EPC rating guidelines for 2030.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has consulted on raising non-domestic Private Rented Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and will publish the Government response early next year. The Government continues to engage with trade bodies and other key stakeholders to help property owners understand the requirements and what support is available to them and will be publishing updated guidance to support landlords with compliance where necessary.
Non-domestic properties are eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme offering up to £7,500 off the installation of a heat pump.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 promote the adoption of energy monitoring technologies to help businesses identify energy savings.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Smart meter-enabled energy monitoring technologies are key to helping businesses understand their energy use in an accessible way to identify savings. Since 1st October 2024, the Government has required energy suppliers to provide all small businesses with free and regular information on their energy use based on their smart meter data, for example via an App, online platform or display. Suppliers must also open up access to data to third parties who are working to provide innovative energy management tools on behalf of businesses of all sizes.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 reduce the UK's dependence on imported electricity.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s upcoming Clean Power 2030 action plan will detail the Government's strategy protect people from increased energy bills caused by volatile global gas markets and accelerate our pathway towards greater energy independence through the deployment of clean energy.
Importing cheaper electricity during peak times reduces the need to turn on carbon-intensive domestic generation and can enhance security of supply by providing access to a more diverse generation pool that complements our domestic energy mix.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 the use of energy monitoring systems by businesses to accelerate their progress towards net zero.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The use of energy monitoring systems can support all types and sizes of business to better understand their energy consumption. It can assist large businesses and their corporate groups to carry out mandatory energy assessments of their buildings, transport and industrial processes under the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme, to enable the identification of costed energy saving measures. ESOS participants are required to disclose their total energy use, and submit action plans and progress updates on any energy saving measures they decide to implement following their assessment. Businesses that are also in scope of Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting can also set out in their annual reports the key energy efficiency actions they have taken alongside the required energy and emissions disclosures.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 the quantity of natural gas reserves required to (a) maintain variable electricity generation and (b) meet electricity demand.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To ensure security of supply, the electricity system requires generating capacity that can dispatch power in the event of high peak demand, unexpected outage or during periods of low renewable output. As we transition to clean power the government will work with the private sector to ensure flexible technologies such as hydrogen, long duration electricity storage and power with carbon capture and storage are deployed.
Unabated gas will increasingly move to a backup role as low carbon alternatives deploy. We will continue to develop our strategy to enable a transition away from unabated gas whilst maintaining security of supply.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much biomass electricity generation contributes to the UK's carbon footprint.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government considers the use of sustainable biomass for electricity generation to be low carbon. This assessment takes into account emissions attributed to biomass from across the supply chain.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes territorial emissions estimates, found here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-territorial-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics. However, international reporting guidelines, established by organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), require carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the combustion of biomass to be accounted for in the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector rather than the energy sector. Correspondingly, CO2 emissions from the use of imported biomass are accounted for in the LULUCF sectors across the national inventories in which the biomass was harvested.