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 support disabled households with additional energy costs from (a) medical equipment and (b) home adaptions.

The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power, particularly those where energy costs are high out of medical necessity. The Department’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.

In the interim, I appreciate that one of the biggest practical barriers to providing help to households that need it, is the availability of the right data to target financial support and advice. The Department is working closely with other government departments to unlock the data that will enable us to target support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills.