Energy: Housing

(asked on 19th October 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to fund the actions required to meet the (a) 2035 all homes target, (b) 2030 private rented sector target and (c) 2030 social housing target, as set out in the Clean Growth Strategy.


Answered by
 Portrait
Claire Perry
This question was answered on 24th October 2017

The Clean Growth Strategy, and publications alongside that document, set out details on how domestic energy performance improvements could be financed from a range of both private and public sources.

In the Strategy, the Government committed to extend support for home energy efficiency out to 2028 at least as the current levels of ECO funding (£640m per annum), and review the best form of support beyond 2022 recognising the need to both save carbon and meet the Government’s commitment to upgrade all fuel poor homes to EPC Band C by 2030. Government will be considering a range of further options for tackling fuel poverty and the proposals on home energy efficiency standards in the Strategy will be relevant,

In addition, the Government has regulated to require that all residential lettings from April 2018 must meet a minimum standard of Energy Performance Certificate Band E, and committed to consult on raising standards in future, with a view to reaching Band C by 2030.

Following the sale of the Green Deal Finance Company, the Government has published a call for evidence on how to reform and streamline the Green Deal framework to make the “Pay as You Save” system more accessible to businesses, while ensuring adequate protection for consumers. The Government has also announced the creation of a Green Finance Taskforce to provide recommendations on delivery of the public and private investment we need to meet the ambitions set out in the Clean Growth Strategy

Targeted financial incentives and price signals could play a role in encouraging action by home owners. The Government has published a call for evidence on additional measures to encourage energy performance improvements, focussed particularly on home owners. This seeks views on a range of ideas (e.g. low interest loans, equity loans, conditional mortgages) put forward by stakeholders to encourage action. We will publish a response to this evidence and ideas in 2018, laying out a plan of action.

The Government is also working with mortgage lenders to incorporate energy efficiency into their lending decisions, alongside developing innovative “green mortgage” products.

Reticulating Splines