Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they arrived at the estimate in the Clean Energy Campaign that it costs approximately £2,000 a year to heat a typical three-bedroom house with a gas boiler; and what assessment they have made of the accuracy of Ofgem’s estimate of the cost of heating a typical three-bedroom house with a gas boiler.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The cost estimates used in the Clean Energy Campaign are based on the total energy for a home with a gas boiler including both gas and electricity costs (e.g. for lighting and appliances). Details for the assumptions behind the analysis are provided in the section marked “*How we calculated heat pump savings” on the campaign web page https://cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk/heat-pump/. The analysis in the campaign assumed an annual gas demand of 12,200kWh, which is well aligned to OFGEM’s ‘Medium’ typical domestic consumption value of 11,500kWh.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether local authorities will be able to access the £2 billion fund to support zero and low-interest loans for solar panels, batteries, and other technologies proposed in the Warm Homes Plan, published 21 January.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will look to use our new Warm Homes Fund to help local authorities accelerate their existing consumer offers for low carbon technologies. In addition, Crown Commercial Services and Great British Energy are testing approaches to aggregating demand for these technologies to drive down unit costs for both social housing landlords and the public sector estate.
The Government will also provide support to local government, enabling successful delivery at the local level, including through the new Warm Homes Agency which will play a pivotal role in supporting local partnerships, convening, facilitating and supporting where necessary to build capacity within local government. Government is also funding five Local Net Zero Hubs which support local authorities to develop decarbonisation projects and attract commercial interest.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
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 take steps in response to the CMA Road Fuel Monitoring Annual report 2025.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government notes the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) annual road fuel monitoring report, which found that competition hasn’t strengthened since the CMA’s Market Study published in July 2023, and that fuel margins remain consistently high and are not explained by operating costs.
The Government has implemented the recommendations made by the CMA, including the launch of Fuel Finder, which now requires all petrol stations in the UK to report their prices within 30 minutes of a change. This scheme aims to increase price transparency and help drivers to compare prices easily and make more informed decisions on where to buy their fuel.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
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 powers given to the Competitions and Marketing Authority on the adequacy of competition in the fuel market sector for rural communities consumer.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government provided statutory powers to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to monitor the road fuel market and assess whether competition is working effectively for consumers, including those in rural communities.
The CMA’s recent annual report found that fuel margins remain high and are not explained by operating costs. In line with the CMA’s recommendations, the Government has implemented the statutory Fuel Finder scheme, which requires all petrol stations in the UK to report their fuel prices within 30 minutes of a change, and is intended to improve price transparency, increase competition and lower prices across the UK including for rural consumers.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 110095, whether the Department plans to publish route-specific or island impact assessments before domestic maritime is brought into scope of the UK ETS in 2026.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Impact Assessment set out that it is not possible to robustly break down compliance costs to the level of individual routes or service types, as ticket prices, fare structures and commercial operating decisions vary widely. The Assessment therefore considers impacts at the sector and scheme level.
The Authority consulted extensively with all operators, including those serving island mainland and shortsea routes, to ensure all perspectives informed policy development.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential cumulative impact of business rates, minimum wage increases, VAT, energy costs and alcohol duty on the viability of small and independently owned pubs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the important contribution that small and independently owned pubs make to local communities, the high street and the wider economy. The potential impacts of changes on this sector are carefully considered as part of policy development.
Where changes are made, relevant impact notes and assessments are published at fiscal events and otherwise as necessary, in line with the Government’s usual practice. The Treasury also engages regularly with the pub and wider hospitality sector to understand the challenges they face.
The Government continues to provide targeted support to the pub sector through the tax system and other policies, and keeps all areas of the tax system under review, with future decisions taken at fiscal events under the normal process.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what measures are in place to limit curtailment costs during the period before new grid infrastructure becomes operational.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) are pursuing measures which will reduce constraint costs in the short term. These include making best use of the existing network, deploying smart grid technologies and taking measures to reduce the amount of time networks need to be out of service for essential new build and maintenance. NESO is also progressing other technical measures at pace via the Constraints Collaboration Project. We intend to announce further measures in the Reformed National Pricing (RNP) Deliver Plan which will be published shortly.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of constraint payments and balancing actions in each year since 2020; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this on domestic energy bills.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The breakdown of curtailment and balancing action costs borne by domestic consumers and other data relating to constraints is provided in the National Energy System Operator (NESO) Annual Balancing Report. The most recent of these reports was published in June 2025 which can be found via this link: neso.energy/document/362561/download. We recognise that actions are needed to reduce system constraints. The current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. We are already taking action to reduce constraints with the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing measures similar to those adopted in other European countries to help reduce electricity prices for (a) consumers and (b) industry.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tackling the affordability crisis is Government’s number one priority. At the last Budget, we took an average of £150 of costs off household energy bills from this coming April. The main driver of high energy bills is gas, and we are taking action to reduce electricity prices for consumers and industry by taking back control with homegrown clean power. In designing and implementing energy policy, we take account of approaches adopted successfully in other countries.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what lessons his Department has learnt from other countries that have reduced curtailment while expanding renewables.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We use evidence from comparable countries to support our decision making and policy thinking on curtailment. Constraint payments are a natural part of operating an electricity system and are used in many countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany and Denmark. However, the current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. We’re finally changing that, with the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades, which will minimise both curtailment and constraint costs, and help deliver clean power by 2030.