Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of minimum energy efficiency standards on the commercial viability of shops in (a) high street and (b) town centre locations.

The energy shock of recent years has highlighted the urgent importance of improving energy efficiency in non-domestic buildings. For shops in high street and town centres, improving energy efficiency can be one of the most cost-effective mechanisms for businesses to reduce their energy bills, while also reducing their carbon emissions. Minimum energy efficiency standards help unlock energy efficiency upgrades in rented buildings where landlords and tenants often do not have aligned incentives to improve the performance of the building.