Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that all remote areas and islands, such as the Isles of Scilly, can take the same advantage as urban areas of energy saving schemes such as the Energy Companies Obligation.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is an obligation that the Government has placed on certain energy suppliers to reduce the UK’s energy consumption and support those living in fuel poverty by requiring those suppliers to provide households with energy efficiency improvements. It is designed for suppliers to meet their obligation in the most cost-effective way in order to limit the costs passed on to consumer energy bills within certain parameters.

15% of a suppliers’ activity towards meeting its Community Saving Carbon obligation must be met in rural areas. We’re also making changes to the scheme’s Affordable Warmth obligation up to 2017 so that as much as 30% of the homes helped by energy suppliers under that group will be non-gas fuelled households.