Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Building Regulations Establishments research finding that no boilers sold in the UK meet the minimum Energy Related Products efficiency requirement of 92 per cent as legislated for since the beginning of April under Boiler Plus.
Answered by Lord Henley
We do not recognise this claim, and BRE have confirmed that they do not agree with, and have never stated that, “no boilers sold in the UK meet the minimum ErP efficiency requirements of 92 per cent as legislated for”.
I can confirm that when the standards were set the majority of boilers on the market met or exceeded this minimum efficiency requirement. Since coming into force, all boilers installed in England must meet this standard.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of gas meters and smart meters.
Answered by Lord Henley
Gas meters used for billing must be of an approved design and be accurate. Accuracy limits for smart and ‘traditional’, non-smart meters are identical and set out in legislation.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards manages an annual in-service testing regime to test the accuracy of gas meter types. Testing is undertaken on the basis of sampling and to date all gas meter types sampled have passed.
In the event of a dispute over the accuracy of a meter, the law gives all consumers the right to have their gas meter independently checked and tested. The vast majority of meters tested as a result of consumer dispute are found to be accurate.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration is being given by the Office for Product Safety and Standards to the measurement of the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure in gas meters, to ensure more accurate readings.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is responsible for the regulatory system that delivers accuracy in measurement of gas consumed.
However, calculations relating to the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure that are applied to those measurements for the purposes of billing, are a matter for the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) under the Gas (Calculation of Thermal Energy) Regulations 1996. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the noble Baroness. I will place a copy of his letter in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the efficacy of the smart meter programme in reducing the proportion of households in fuel poverty.
Answered by Lord Henley
No recent assessment has been made. However, BEIS research published in 2015 (the Early Learning Project) concluded that there is potential for households in all income groups to make energy and/or cost savings from smart metering. Previous research (the Energy Demand Research Project) had also identified a more positive response to smart metering from consumers in areas of relatively high fuel poverty.