Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
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 (a) the completeness of postcode data supplied to energy companies for administrating the Domestic Alternative Fuel Payment Scheme, (b) whether postcodes SY23 4UA and 4UB were included in that data and (c) the effectiveness of the scheme in ensuring that all eligible households have received payments.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
To minimise the number of electrically heated homes which may be paid the Alternative Fuel Payment, Government has filtered households based on if their local area predominantly uses electricity for heating. It is right that Government ensures value for money for the taxpayer. This means that households in these areas which do use alternative fuels will not receive the payment automatically but are still eligible to apply through the Alternative Fund.
Xoserve published data showing which postcodes are off the gas grid: https://www.xoserve.com/media/fadn4tnc/off-gas-live-postcodes-2022.xlsx?term=Off-gas.
Neither postcode referenced is in this data set.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether people with feed-in tariff agreements for existing renewable energy systems are eligible for the smart export guarantee for new renewable energy generating systems.
Answered by Graham Stuart
People are eligible provided the new installation meets the eligibility requirements of the Smart Export Guarantee.
Should the new installation be an extension to an original Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) installation which takes it over the scheme’s 5MW capacity threshold, the original installation would no longer be eligible for FIT payments.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
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 enabling people on feed-in tariffs who export more than 50 per cent of their electricity to the grid to receive compensation for electricity exported above the 50 per cent threshold.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Feed-in Tariffs legislation enables householders to move from the “deemed” 50% export rate to receive payment on all the electricity exported to the grid. This would require the householder to install a smart meter to take the export readings.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether people on feed-in tariffs will be able to move to the smart export guarantee when their contracts come to an end.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Generators will be able to move onto the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) when their Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) contract comes to an end. Under the FIT legislation, generators are already able to opt out of receiving FIT export payments and receive a SEG export tariff.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in Ceredigion that cannot benefit from smart metering because of inadequate connectivity.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As many households and small businesses as possible should benefit from smart metering.
The Data Communications Company (DCC), which operates the national communications infrastructure for smart metering, is obligated under its licence to provide coverage to at least 99.25% of premises across Great Britain. The energy regulator Ofgem is responsible for ensuring the DCC complies with its obligations.
The Government does not hold information on network coverage at a constituency level.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
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 estimate of the number and proportion of installers who are registered to undertake ECO4 measures accept applications for support from park home households.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme is a requirement placed on larger energy suppliers, and is fully focussed on supporting low income and vulnerable households in receiving energy efficiency measures.
Under ECO, suppliers/installers decide where to install measures based on property suitability and the cost-effectiveness of installing there. Government estimates that under ECO4, around 800,000 measures may be installed in around 450,000 households.
While park home households are within scope for ECO4, the Government does not become involved with the private contractual decisions of suppliers and installers, nor does it collect data on the number of accepted park home applications by these parties.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the REDD+ Early Movers Programme uses the company Verra to verify carbon emissions reductions from avoided deforestation.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The REDD Early Movers Programme does not use the company Verra to verify carbon emission reductions.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on developing a Route 4 Bespoke Targeting Households of the ECO4 Flex scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The introduction of a Route 4 Bespoke Targeting mechanism, leading to the ECO4 Order coming into force in July 2022. Route 4 Guidance was published in December.
No recent discussions have been held with the Welsh Government on Route 4 of the ECO4 Flex scheme. However, Department officials will be happy to meet with the Welsh Government should they so wish.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 131284 on Heat Pumps: Ceredigion, how many of the (a) 436 air source heat pumps and (b) 53 ground/water source heat pumps were installed in domestic properties that are not connected to mains gas.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Of those heat pump installations in domestic properties in Ceredigion, the Department has identified that 407 air source heat pumps and 52 ground/water source heat pumps installed were not in properties connected to mains gas.
A list of postcodes that are not connected to the mains gas grid are available here at https://www.xoserve.com/a-to-z/.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department made of the number of people in Wales who receive (a) Disability Living Allowance or (b) Personal Independence Payment who are also eligible for the ECO4 scheme and do not receive means tested benefits.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme is fully focussed on providing support to low income and vulnerable households.
Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment in isolation are not eligible ECO4 benefits as they are not means tested. BEIS does not hold benefit recipient-related data. However, Government has expanded and reformed the scheme to include some low-income households not in receipt of means tested benefits who could be vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home. 1.9 million GB householders are assumed to be eligible for support via the Local Authority-led “Flexible Eligibility” element of the scheme (ECO4 Flex).
The Government has also introduced a 35% uplift to off-gas rural areas in Wales to incentivise delivery in areas that may be harder to reach.