Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 impact of (a) levels of rurality, (b) local average temperature and (c) average age of housing on the implementation of the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK government is committed to ensuring that no-one is left behind in the transition to Net Zero, supplying solutions that work for all buildings regardless of age or location.
Therefore, research was commissioned by the Department to develop a definition for housing stock for which the presence, and combination, of attributes and contextual factors can add complexity to improving energy efficiency and utilising low carbon heating solutions.
The government is currently carefully considering the findings of the research, which can be found at: (www.gov.uk/government/publications/defining-and-identifying-complex-to-decarbonise-homes.)
For tailored recommendations on home upgrades consumers should visit the government’s home retrofit tool on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how solar schemes that contribute to residential energy efficiency are accounted for when measuring energy performance certificate ratings.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Solar photovoltaic (PV) is currently reflected in the domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating, which is based on energy costs. Electricity generated by PV is assigned a value and deducted from the property’s energy cost, improving the EPC Rating.
Government is reforming EPCs to better align them with our Clean Power and Net Zero objectives. Our December 2024 consultation proposed moving from one metric to four complementary metrics, together highlighting the main aspects of a home’s energy performance. Alongside retaining an energy cost metric, this includes a Smart Readiness metric that would reflect a home’s ability to generate electricity, such as from solar PV. A response to the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 plans to take to support rural properties to improve their energy efficiency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government is investing £13.2 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to upgrade up to 5 million homes, including £500 million to be delivered from 2025-28 through the Warm Homes: Local Grant. The WH:LG provides energy performance measures to low-income homes with EPCs band D-G on or off the gas grid across England.
For most rural homes, decarbonising heat will involve installing a heat pump. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants offer £7,500 for heat pumps, and £5,000 for biomass boilers in specific rural cases.
For tailored recommendations on home upgrades consumers should visit the government’s home retrofit tool on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the level of readability of the correspondence sent by his Department when setting out how a constituent's New State Retirement Pension has been calculated (a) when considering contracted-out National Insurance contributions and (b) in general.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Individuals enrolling in a private pension scheme should receive clear and accessible information from their pension provider or employer about how the scheme may affect their State Pension entitlement. They can forecast their State Pension entitlement using the 'Check Your State Pension' service on GOV.UK, the HMRC app, or by requesting a paper statement with form BR19.
The Department is committed to making communications clear, understandable and accessible for all customers. DWP Customer Communications are tested regularly to ensure they continue to meet customers’ needs. For example, Easy Read products are specifically created to help and support disabled customers. MENCAP test our Easy Read products before publication.