Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 Ofgem on the potential impact of changes to electricity standing charges on SMEs.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Standing charges predominantly recover ‘fixed’ costs that do not vary by energy use. This includes supplier’s operational costs for serving each customer and the cost of essential network maintenance and upgrades, which are necessary to keep all consumers connected, minimise constraint costs, meet the capacity needed to deliver clean power by 2030, and help bring down bills for households and businesses for good.
However, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges, and we are committed to ensuring that standing charges are fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way and DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 Ofgem on seeking seeking redress for affected customers of A Shade Greener.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers regularly engage with Ofgem on a range of issues covering the full breadth of the energy system.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has issued guidance to people affected by multiple planning applications for (a) battery energy storage systems and (b) solar storage near to their villages that have been approved by him.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As Minister for Energy, I do not personally approve any individual planning applications. The Department approves energy projects classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, and the process is governed by the Planning Act 2008, which includes some large solar farms, including those with batter storage systems attached. Stand-alone battery energy storage systems are not classed as nationally significant infrastructure. Guidance for nationally significant infrastructure project projects is available on Planning Inspectorate website, including how local communities can engage with the examination process, register as an interest party and raise concerns about proposed developments.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to allow pensioners not in receipt of benefits to access ECO4 scheme funding for solar panels.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Pensioners not in receipt of benefits may be able to access the Flexible Eligibility element of the ECO4 scheme (ECO Flex) which allows those with a gross combined household income of up to £31,000 to seek support. ECO Flex also has additional routes which are not based on income for households, but where a member has been diagnosed with a specific long-term health condition which could be impacted by living in a cold home. There are currently no plans to make further changes to eligibility under the ECO4 scheme.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 adequacy of Government programmes supporting homeowners with reducing levels of carbon emissions.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
To reach our Clean Power target by 2030 we need to decarbonise the way we heat and cool our homes and workplaces. After many years of stop-start settlements by previous governments, this government has provided an exceptional initial three-year settlement for home upgrades despite this only being a single-year fiscal event. This demonstrates our ambitions to deliver the Warm Homes Plan as effectively as possible.
The new Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) will support low-income homeowners and private tenants and social tenants in England with energy performance upgrades and cleaner heating, with delivery expected in 2025.