Improving energy efficiency is the best long-term solution to tackle fuel poverty and at the Summer Economic Update we announced more than £2 billion of funding for upgrading the energy efficiency of homes. The Green Homes Grant is a £2 billion programme which will help improve the energy efficiency of homes in England. Low-income homeowners in receipt of certain benefits may be eligible for a grant covering up to 100% of the cost of installation. The 2020 Spending Review committed a further £320 million in funding for the Green Homes Grant for 2021-22 and £150 million to help some of the poorest homes become more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon energy.<\/p>
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The Energy Company Obligation scheme requires energy companies to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures to low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households. The current scheme is worth £640m per year and ends in March 2022. The Prime Minister announced an extension to this scheme until 2026 in his Ten Point Plan. We also recently closed our consultation on the extension of the Warm Home Discount until March 2022. This will continue to provide a £140 energy bill rebate to over 2 million low income and vulnerable households, and vital projects helping fuel poor households throughout the country through Industry Initiatives.<\/p>
We are currently consulting on improving the standard of privately rented homes in England and Wales through a minimum energy efficiency performance standard of Band C, helping to tackle fuel poverty in that tenure.<\/p>
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An updated fuel poverty strategy for England will also be released in the coming months, outlining our commitments to delivering against our statutory target to ensure that as many fuel poor homes as is reasonably practicable achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of Band C, by 2030.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4134", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Spelthorne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kwasi Kwarteng"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-12-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-12-11T11:40:43.767Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-12-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Fuel Poverty"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward proposals to tackle fuel poverty.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/410", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jon Trickett"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hemsworth"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jon Trickett"} ], "uin" : "124121"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1255866", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1255866/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The minimum standard energy efficiency regulations provide a limited number of temporary exemptions for privately rented properties with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G, where it is not technically advisable or financially feasible to bring those properties up to an EPC E rating. The majority of exemptions available under these regulations are valid for a period of five years, effective from their date of registration.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4134", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Spelthorne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kwasi Kwarteng"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-12-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-12-04T14:48:55.107Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-11-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Fuel Poverty"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of exemptions on levels of fuel poverty.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/62", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Alan Whitehead"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Southampton, Test"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr Alan Whitehead"} ], "uin" : "121119"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1244935", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1244935/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
District heating systems, or heat networks, have the potential to reduce consumer bills and therefore may contribute to reducing fuel poverty. We will consider the role and potential impact of heat networks as part of our planned update to the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4134", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Spelthorne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kwasi Kwarteng"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-10-23T06:58:29.33Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-10-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Fuel Poverty"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of district heating systems for reducing the number of fuel poor households as part of his Department\u2019s Fuel Poverty Strategy.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4591", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sarah Olney"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Richmond Park"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sarah Olney"} ], "uin" : "106445"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1237556", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1237556/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Energy efficiency is the most sustainable way to reduce fuel bills and tackle fuel poverty. Half of the England-wide £2 billion Green Homes Grant has been earmarked to provide low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households with energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures. Low income households can receive a voucher of up to £10,000 towards eligible measures. We are working with local authorities and local energy hubs to tackle fuel poverty across England through the £500 million Local Authority Delivery portion of the Green Homes Grant.<\/p>
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In addition, the Energy Company Obligation drives £640 million of investment in energy efficiency measures for low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households each year. Up to 25% of this funding is delivered through the Local Authority Flexible Eligibility portion of the scheme each year. More than 15,000 households in Coventry and nearly 150,000 households in the West Midlands have received energy efficiency measures through the Energy Company Obligation since 2013.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4134", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Spelthorne"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kwasi Kwarteng"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-09-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-09-29T15:37:33.713Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-09-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Fuel Poverty"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of fuel poverty in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"} ], "uin" : "95104"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1237727", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1237727/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "