Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of fully transitioning older renewable projects away from Renewable Obligation Certificates and on to Contracts for Difference.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The existing Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme has been successful in bringing forward new renewable generation at fixed, competitive prices. CfDs are already helping to reduce consumers’ exposure to gas price volatility.
The Government has announced plans to develop a voluntary Wholesale Contract for Difference (WCfD) for eligible legacy low-carbon generators whose revenues remain exposed to wholesale electricity prices. Under this current proposal, generators accredited under the Renewables Obligation (RO) would continue to receive RO support, with only their wholesale electricity revenues being exchanged for a fixed-price CfD. We are engaging with industry on detailed policy options, and plan to consult later this year, however, note that contracts will only being offered where they deliver clear value for money for the consumer.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of opening up business energy data on forecasting, carbon reporting and decarbonisation in non-domestic buildings.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of energy data in managing energy use and planning the deployment of energy savings measures. There is significant existing reporting for non-domestic buildings, much of which is already publicly available, including Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting and the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme.
Central government organisations report their energy consumption through the Greening Government Commitments. HM Treasury set mandatory requirements on central government annual reports and accounts aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure recommendations. This guidance can also be used by the wider public sector.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
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 remove the renewable obligation levy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Since 1 April this year, 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation (RO) have been funded by the Exchequer. This shifts the balance from levies on bills to public spending, resulting in an average £150 reduction in energy costs. Over three years, £7 billion worth of RO levies will be funded through public expenditure, providing short-term relief and greater long-term benefits for consumers.
DBT have also introduced the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme which aims to exempt over 10,000 manufacturing businesses from various levies, including the RO, with the aim of cutting industrial electricity bills by up to 25%.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of allowing customers to share their energy use data with suppliers to improve energy switching and market choice.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A consumer’s energy supplier can already access their gas and electricity consumption data for regulated purposes such as billing. Consumers have a choice about the granularity of data that is provided to their supplier.
Smart meters automatically send household energy consumption data to energy suppliers via the smart metering communications network, removing the need for manual meter reading. This supports easier switching between suppliers.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making household gas consumption data more available for energy suppliers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A consumer’s energy supplier can already access their gas and electricity consumption data for regulated purposes such as billing. Consumers have a choice about the granularity of data that is provided to their supplier.
Smart meters automatically send household energy consumption data to energy suppliers via the smart metering communications network, removing the need for manual meter reading. This supports easier switching between suppliers.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on expanding and developing renewable infrastructure to match renewables expansion.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the infrastructure required to support the Government’s clean energy mission. Through our Clean Power 2030 mission, the Government is working across Whitehall to accelerate the development of new transmission infrastructure by reforming the planning system, supporting supply chains, streamlining regulation, and ensuring that the infrastructure needed to support renewable energy deployment is delivered alongside generation capacity.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to further reduce energy costs for small and medium size enterprises.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are closely monitoring the impact of energy prices on businesses caused by the instability in the middle east, and much will depend on the length of the ongoing crisis. We are increasing the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant for properties heated by oil and LPG, taking the total grant to £9,000. This will help SMEs in England and Wales most impacted by rising energy prices to electrify their heating and provide greater certainty over energy bills.
The Government’s primary focus is on ensuring energy is affordable for all businesses and we work closely with Ofgem to identify and implement policy changes which can improve the non-domestic market.
The Government plans to directly regulate Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs) by appointing Ofgem as the regulator when parliamentary time allows. At their best, TPIs can have significant impact on the cost of energy for businesses by helping consumers secure contracts that meet their needs. However, not all TPIs are living up to this ideal. A regulated market will ensure that businesses can save money on their bills through improved competition and lower commissions.
The conflict in the Middle East is yet another reminder that the only route to energy security and sovereignty for the UK is by getting off the rollercoaster of volatile fossil fuels and onto clean homegrown power which we control, to bring down bills for good.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
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 contribution of funding within the Warm Homes Fund targeted at households on low incomes to the fulfilment of the commitment to lift to one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Warm Homes Plan and the new Fuel Poverty Strategy, Government is taking decisive action to lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030. The Plan includes around £5 billion of support for low-income and fuel poor households, made up of £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million from the Warm Homes Fund.
The Warm Homes Fund will support new low and zero‑interest finance to help households overcome upfront costs and enable greater participation in home upgrade schemes, complementing grant funding delivered through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his department has considered introducing a revenue support mechanism to support the growth of the UK heat network sector.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are committed to supporting heat networks as a key technology to electrify our economy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for heating homes and businesses.
The government recognises the need to consider both the upfront costs of installing new low-carbon heat networks and the long-term running costs for buildings connected to them.
We intend to consult on options to reduce costs and make electrification an economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses and organisations.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what barriers to heat network deployment his department has identified, and what steps are being taken to help tackle them.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In the Warm Homes Plan we set out several barriers to heat network deployment, including high upfront capital costs, limited investment certainty, supply chain and skills constraints, and low consumer confidence due to historic issues around pricing and reliability.
The government is addressing these by introducing heat network zoning in England to provide long‑term certainty, expanding capital support through funds such as the Green Heat Network Fund, and strengthening regulation to improve consumer protection and trust. It is also supporting supply chain growth and skills development.