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 support industry to reduce the embodied carbon emissions related to the (a) production and (b) use of new construction materials.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers are considering options to reduce embodied emissions in industry by growing the demand for construction materials such as low carbon steel, cement and concrete. This includes resolving questions such as how embodied emissions in products are measured.
The Government will consult on options for answering these questions in due course.
The Government has established a Circular Economy Taskforce to support the efficient use of construction materials to reduce embodied carbon. Alongside this, Government continues to collaborate with industry groups to promote the efficient, circular use of construction materials, supporting research to enable this.
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 incentivising energy performance-related improvements of commercial buildings in the private sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Minimum energy efficiency standards in non-domestic buildings have improved energy efficiency and Government has consulted on strengthening them. We will publish our government response early next year. In addition, our Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme requires large businesses to undertake energy audits and encourages improvements.
There are also incentives to decarbonise with grants to small businesses through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund offers up to £500 million to support existing firms to decarbonise and grow, with the government recently confirming £163 million in phase 3 funding to invest by 2028. More detail on the Government’s approach to decarbonising non-domestic buildings, including through the Warm Homes Plan, will be published in due course.
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, with reference to page 12 of the UK Green Buildings Council report entitled 100 days into Government: How Labour can build a better future, published on 15 October 2024, if he will make it his policy to introduce retrofit officers in every council to (a) develop local plans, (b) attract wider investment, (c) engage with households and supply chains and (d) oversee local one-stop shop retrofit services.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will be rolled out in partnership with local authorities, combined authorities and devolved governments. As a first step, the government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency.
At Autumn Budget, the government introduced the first integrated settlements with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority, which include piloting the devolution of retrofit funding from 2025-26.
The upcoming English Devolution White Paper (due for publication in late 2024) will provide more detail on the government’s devolution plans, setting out an ambitious new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best. It will give deeper powers for existing mayors as well as for new areas, including over house building and planning, as well as transport and skills.
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, with reference to page 13 of the UK Green Buildings Council report entitled 100 days into Government: How Labour can build a better future, published on 15 October 2024, what steps he is taking to support local authorities to (a) address regional disparities, (b) drive sustainable change and (c) safeguard quality.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the importance of local authorities in driving net zero. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will support local authorities to increase their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas.
At Autumn Budget, Government introduced the first integrated settlements with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities, which include piloting the devolution of retrofit funding from 2025-26, which aims to support economic growth and the net zero transition.
The Government will also partner with local authorities to deliver the Warm Homes Plan, which will support investment in insulation, low carbon heating and other home improvements to cut bills.
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 support (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations with the costs of increasing the energy efficiency of social housing.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (formerly SHDF) will provide grant funding for Housing Associations and Local Authorities to install retrofit measures to improve the energy efficiency ratings of a significant amount of social housing stock currently below EPC C up to that standard.
Wave 3 of the fund is open for applications until midday on 25 November 2024. The scheme is expected to begin delivery in Spring 2025 following the allocation of funding to grant recipients.
Additionally, the National Wealth Fund has worked with leading banks to make £1bn available to retrofit social housing, which we will build on.
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, if he will take steps to support (a) households, (b) businesses and (c) public sector organisations with the cost of installing heat pumps.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is providing a range of support to encourage the adoption of heat pumps. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 and the Warm Homes: Local Grant help to support privately owned, social and privately rented properties respectively. The BUS also supports businesses to install heat pumps and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is supporting a wide range of public sector organisations to install low carbon heating, including heat pumps.
The forthcoming Warm Homes Plan will also include additional measures to support investment in low carbon heating.
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 his Department plans to take steps to update energy performance certificates to ensure they accurately reflect the actual energy performance of homes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is reviewing the building physics model and methodology underpinning EPCs to make it fit for purpose to support net zero. A public consultation on the new building physics model, the Home Energy Model, closed on 27 March 2024.
We are now reviewing the responses and will publish a response in the coming months. We will also consult shortly on proposals to improve EPCs and aim to consult further on the underlying Home Energy Model for producing them in 2025.
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 potential cost to (a) landlords and (b) housing providers of ensuring that (i) private and (ii) social rented homes achieve a minimum energy performance certificate rating of C by 2030.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will consult on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector and on introducing a minimum energy efficiency standard for the social rented sector. The Government will work closely with both the private and socially rented sectors during the consultations and will consider potential costs for private landlords and social housing providers in our assessment of options for the minimum energy efficiency standards.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support for landlords with increasing the energy efficiency of properties that are difficult to retrofit.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Landlords can use our ‘Help for Households’ GOV.UK page to find available support via the Home Upgrade Grant and the Great British Insulation Scheme. In addition, there is a zero-rate of VAT until March 2027 on energy saving measures. Government will consult this year on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. This consultation will set out proposals on maximum spend required from landlords and the exemptions regime to manage the cost burden placed on landlords, including those who own properties that are difficult to retrofit, whilst still achieving our ambition to lift households out of fuel poverty.
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, if he will make it his policy to give (a) local authorities and (b) Councils (i) powers, (ii) responsibility and (iii) resources to accelerate the delivery of the Government’s Warm Homes programme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan will upgrade 5 million homes across the country by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar and heat pumps. We will partner with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. We will set out further detail on delivering our Warm Homes Plan in due course.