Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how his Department plans to measure the impact of the Warm Homes Plan on levels of fuel poverty in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ’s annual sub-regional fuel poverty statistics estimate the rates of fuel poverty in constituencies within England, and will therefore reflect the impacts of the Warm Homes Plan in time.
The Department will publish monitoring statistics and evaluation of policies announced in the Warm Homes Plan. DESNZ currently publishes statistics covering the uptake and impacts of energy efficiency measures here.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take with (a) local authorities and (b) other Government Departments to help ensure that tenants in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency are aware of their rights under the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is standing up for tenants through our new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) in the private rented sector, and proposed standard for the social rented sector, which will lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty. We estimate that tenants could save an average of £210 on their annual energy bill.
Landlords should provide clear communication about changes being made, and government will provide guidance for landlords and tenants so that tenants know what to expect.
The government will also provide support to local government to enable successful Warm Homes delivery at the local level. This includes through the new Warm Homes Agency, which will offer households clear advice and a consistent, quality-assured service.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received specific proposals from (1) the Sustainable Energy Association, and (2) the Green Building Council, about ways to promote and fund domestic energy efficiency; and if so, what consideration they have given to those proposals.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As part of the development of the Warm Homes Plan, the Department has engaged with a broad range of stakeholders through a variety of different fora to ensure a wide range of views were considered.
On 8 December 2025 Minister McCluskey met with the Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Association Dave Sowden to listen to their proposals for decarbonising homes. The Department has also corresponded with a number of other industry groups, academics, think-tanks and other representatives, including the UK Green Building Council. These proposals have been considered as part of the policy development process.
The recently published Warm Homes Plan is the biggest investment in home upgrades ever, with £15 billion of investment to cut energy bills, bring households out of fuel poverty, increase our energy security and make our homes warmer and more efficient.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to prevent landlords from raising rents after using grants and loans in the Warm Homes plan to fund energy efficiency measures.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty through public investment and new minimum energy efficiency standards for private landlords and proposed standard for social landlords. These changes do not require landlords to increase rents. Instead, they will help tenants cut their energy bills by delivering more energy efficient homes.
There is support available for landlords, financing options, as well as new protections for renters in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 to challenge above-market rent increases. As now, landlords will still be able to increase rents to market price for their properties and an independent tribunal will make a judgement on this, if needed.
Landlords will have discretion between meeting the heating system standard and the smart readiness standard so that they can choose what is most appropriate for their property.
We estimate the new private rented sector MEES could lift approximately 415,000 households out of fuel poverty by 2030. A cost cap of £10,000, compared to £15,000, reduces the risk of cost pass through to tenants whilst still delivering substantial improvements to homes.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment the Department has made of the level of energy-related cost pressures on low- income households in the North East as referenced in the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2025 sub-regional fuel poverty statistics (using 2023 data) use the LILEE (Low Income, Low Energy Efficiency) metric to estimate fuel poverty for local areas. In 2023, 16,198 households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in the Northumberland local authority, representing 10.7% of households in this area. In 2023, 4,614 households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in the Hexham constituency, representing 10.8% of households in this area.
For the wider North East region, we refer to the 2025 fuel poverty statistics, which use the LILEE metric to estimate fuel poverty at regional level. In 2024, 123,000 households were fuel poor in the North East region, representing 10.1% of households in this region.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, following the Expanding the Warm Home Discount Scheme, 2025 to 2026, consultation and the decision not to expand the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme, (a) what support is being provided for people living on boats, and (b) what support is being planned.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Support may be available to houseboats dwellers via the Industry Initiative element of the Warm Home Discount Scheme. These are energy-related and financial measures that energy suppliers can deliver to their own customers or working with industry partners. These include energy efficiency measures, energy advice, boiler and central heating replacements, financial assistance payments and debt write-off,
Each participating supplier has a spending obligation towards Industry Initiatives. This allows them to help customers who are fuel poor or at risk of fuel poverty through a variety of activities and third parties. Households are encouraged to contact any participating supplier about the Industry Initiatives they offer, without the need to be an existing customer.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment the Department has made of the level of energy-related cost pressures on low- income households in Northumberland as referenced in the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2025 sub-regional fuel poverty statistics (using 2023 data) use the LILEE (Low Income, Low Energy Efficiency) metric to estimate fuel poverty for local areas. In 2023, 16,198 households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in the Northumberland local authority, representing 10.7% of households in this area. In 2023, 4,614 households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in the Hexham constituency, representing 10.8% of households in this area.
For the wider North East region, we refer to the 2025 fuel poverty statistics, which use the LILEE metric to estimate fuel poverty at regional level. In 2024, 123,000 households were fuel poor in the North East region, representing 10.1% of households in this region.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment the Department has made of the level of energy-related cost pressures on low- income households in Hexham constituency as referenced in the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2025 sub-regional fuel poverty statistics (using 2023 data) use the LILEE (Low Income, Low Energy Efficiency) metric to estimate fuel poverty for local areas. In 2023, 16,198 households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in the Northumberland local authority, representing 10.7% of households in this area. In 2023, 4,614 households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in the Hexham constituency, representing 10.8% of households in this area.
For the wider North East region, we refer to the 2025 fuel poverty statistics, which use the LILEE metric to estimate fuel poverty at regional level. In 2024, 123,000 households were fuel poor in the North East region, representing 10.1% of households in this region.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to support low-income households with decarbonisation of homes in the context of the end of the Energy Company Obligation scheme by March 2026.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has committed to additional grant funding of £1.5bn which will be directed towards upgrading low-income households, benefiting those in fuel poverty. Details of this will be included within the Government’s ambitious Warm Homes Plan.
The Government is also developing a new fuel poverty strategy for England to ensure that more households can afford to heat their home at a reasonable cost, slash fuel poverty and improve their quality of life. This will include funding energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating for social housing residents, lower income households, and renters, via the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant schemes.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Welsh Government will receive Barnett consequentials from the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Calculating Barnett consequentials of the Government's spending commitments is the responsibility of HM Treasury.
At almost £15 billion, the Warm Homes Plan is the single biggest public investment programme in energy efficiency in UK history. The Treasury has not yet confirmed the total Barnett consequential nor the specific appointment for Wales. More details on the Warm Homes Plan will be published soon.
As issues of energy efficiency, fuel poverty and heat are largely devolved Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have specific Net Zero strategies. We work closely with our counterparts in the Devolved Governments to ensure our strategies align.