Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to include mandatory energy efficiency requirements in building regulations to reduce (a) energy costs and (b) fuel poverty.

When implemented in 2025, the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard will ensure new buildings are zero carbon ready, with high energy efficiency and low carbon heat. The Government believes that by improving energy efficiency and moving to cleaner sources of heat, carbon emissions can be reduced and energy costs kept down for consumers now and in the future. Reducing energy demand through energy efficiency can directly address fuel poverty by minimising energy costs for consumers.

In the Heat and Buildings Strategy the Government set out how it is prioritising the most vulnerable in society. The Government is targeting support for those in fuel poverty through several schemes, such as: the Local Authority Delivery Scheme, Home Upgrade Grant and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, totalling a record level of investment of £6.6 billion. This is in line with the Government’s target to ensure, where practical, that as many fuel poor households achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of a Band C by 2030.