Written questions by Moon.

What mechanism the Government intends to use to allocate funding under the Warm Homes Plan to local areas; and whether allocations will be made directly to Local Authorities.

The Autumn 2024 Budget allocated £500 million to the Warm Homes Local Grant to be delivered from 2025-28 by eligible local authorities. The WH:LG used an expression of interest model to allocate funding, with all eligible local authorities in England who expressed an interest allocated funding - details of these allocations are available on gov.uk. Local authorities within the West Midlands and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities received an allocation of this funding as part of the Warm Homes and Public Sector Decarbonisation Devolution Programme £5 billion of the total £15 billion funding for the Warm Homes Plan is allocated to low-income households, initially delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and the WH:LG. From 2027/28 onwards we intend to integrate these into a single low-income capital scheme shifting towards area-based delivery. We will say more about the evolution of low-income schemes by Spring 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to improve data‑sharing between Government departments and energy suppliers to enable more targeted support for households.

DESNZ recognises the criticality of being able to share data quickly with other parts of government and the energy sector to better target support to households. Current events underline the need for this work. We are looking at improvements to data sharing arrangements, and working with partners across government on how we can better use data to accurately identify and target support to the individuals and households most in need. Government has amended data sharing agreements with suppliers so they now have pre-approval to re-use Warm Home Discount (WHD) data to identify households who need bill support, debt relief or energy efficiency upgrades as part of their industry initiative schemes. Suppliers can also now put the majority of pensioners in receipt of the WHD onto the priority service register automatically. DESNZ is also working closely with other Government Departments on the National Data Library household income ‘kickstarter’ to test how public sector data can be better joined up, paving the way for better targeted support for consumers.

Whether homeowners receiving support under the Warm Homes Plan will be free to choose their own accredited installer.

All installers participating in Government clean heat schemes must be Microgeneration Certification Scheme certified, a nationally recognised quality assurance scheme. Under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, consumers choose their installer and are encouraged to obtain multiple quotes, to ensure they are content with the costs involved. Government will consult this year on options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer government control. In Summer 2026, Government will launch an enhanced, impartial digital-first advice and information service that will act as the ‘national spine’ for home retrofit advice, enabling consumers to access trusted information and find accredited installers operating in their area.

What processes were in place to verify that accredited installers participating in government heat pump schemes held the required seven-year Insurance Backed Guarantee cover; how many installers were found to have inadequate cover; and what steps his Department is taking to help resolve cases where consumers have been left without recourse due to installer insolvency.

The Government requires installers participating in government heat pump schemes to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). MCS has required installers to provide a minimum of two years’ cover through Insurance Backed Guarantees, increasing to six years under the reformed MCS.MCS holds information on installer insurance and checks are carried out to ensure that installers hold appropriate cover. The Government is closely monitoring the implementation of MCS’ scheme reforms, which will include measures to support consumers even if installers are no longer trading.

What inspection regime was in place for verifying the quality and compliance of heat pump installations funded under the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive and the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme; how many installations were physically inspected; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that future government-funded installations are subject to independent on-site verification.

Installers participating in government clean heat schemes, including the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (DRHI) and Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme (GHGVS), must be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified. MCS is responsible for setting and upholding technical standards for small scale renewable technologies, and accredited installers are subject to annual audits and site‑based assessments. Annually for the DRHI, approximately 400 randomly selected, and up to 250 risk-based site audits occur. GHGVS installers required suitable TrustMark qualifications. TrustMark conducts site audits, but the department does not hold statistics on this.

How many consumers who received heat pump installations under the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive and Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme have been left without redress following installer insolvency; and what support his Department provides to consumers in such circumstances.

The department does not collect this data. For the DRHI installers were required to be members of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)and a Chartered Trading Standards Institute approved Consumer Code, which provided routes for complaints handling and alternative dispute resolution. Access to redress in cases of installer insolvency depends on individual circumstances. For the GHGVS consumers were required to seek advice from a suitably qualified TrustMark registered installer before they applied for a voucher. Consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the insurance-backed guarantee, or using the TrustMark dispute resolution process to seek redress The department’s role is limited to signposting consumers to appropriate sources of support, such as the Consumer Code, MCS or independent advice services.

What proportion of funding in the consolidated low income household energy efficiency scheme will be allocated to (a) private sector homes and (b) social housing properties.

The Government’s Warm Homes Plan includes £5 billion targeted investment for home upgrades for low-income and fuel poor households. This will initially be delivered via the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG), which support social housing tenants and low-income homeowners respectively. The WH:SHF has been allocated up to an extra £295 million for 2026/27, in addition to the £1.3billion previously committed. £500 million has been allocated for the WH:LG. From 2027/28 onwards the Government intends to integrate these schemes into a single low-income capital scheme, shifting towards area-based delivery. The Government will say more about the evolution of our low-income schemes in Spring 2026.

How much funding within the consolidated low income household energy efficiency scheme will be ringfenced for community level low carbon heat technologies, including (a) Shared Ground Loops and (b) heat networks.

The Government’s Warm Homes Plan includes £5 billion targeted investment for home upgrades for low-income and fuel poor households. As part of this offer, from 2027/28 the Government intends to integrate the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant into a single low-income capital scheme, which will shift toward area-based delivery. The Government will say more about the evolution of our low-income schemes this Spring, including the scope of funded technologies. In addition to any forthcoming funding from these schemes the Government is investing £1.1bn in low-carbon heat networks over this Parliament, and accelerating their rollout through Heat Network Zoning. We have also taken action to strengthen consumer protection through appointing Ofgem as the Heat Network regulator.

What support is available to customers whose energy efficiency improvement works were due to begin under the ECO4 scheme but are unable to proceed before the scheme ends.

The government recognises that some households may be unable to proceed with planned works before ECO4 ends. Support for eligible households will continue through the Warm Homes Plan, including £1.5 billion of additional low‑income grant for funding energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating, to be delivered via the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant schemes. Further details on scheme eligibility and delivery will be provided in Spring 2026.

Whether he plans to publish the outcome of the review of surplus sharing in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.

I am meeting the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees next month to discuss future surplus sharing arrangements. The outcome will be published once agreement is reached.

What assessment he has made of the potential contribution of tidal stream technologies to his Department's clean energy targets.

The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan acknowledges that whilst emerging renewable technologies, such as tidal stream, are expected to play a limited role in the 2030 energy mix, our ability to deploy at scale could be important to the U K ’s achievement of longer-term decarbonisation objectives.

What steps is he taking to ensure that charging meters in residential blocks that have been incorrectly classified as commercial are reclassified.

Electricity meters serving a premises used wholly or mainly as a private dwelling should be classified as domestic. If a person believes a meter has been incorrectly classified as commercial, they should raise it with the electricity supplier serving the premises, via the landlord if the contract with the supplier is with the landlord. Suppliers are obligated by Ofgem’s supply licence conditions to maintain accurate meter classifications.

What steps his Department is taking to formalise alternative routes to smart export guarantee eligibility for renewable energy installations that are not certified under the microgeneration certification scheme.

The Smart Export Guarantee eligibility criteria are set out in legislation. This requires that an installation and installer are certified through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or a scheme accredited as equivalent. There are no plans to review this requirement. While such certification is required to access the SEG, suppliers may choose to and, in many cases, do offer export tariffs outside the SEG arrangements.

What assessment he has made of the market potential of shared ground loops.

Shared ground loops deliver highly efficient, low-carbon heating. They can be an effective solution, for example, for buildings with limited space for individual air source heat pumps. That is why shared ground loops are eligible for funding under government schemes including the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

What progress his Department has made in developing an online consumer advice service for retrofit.

The Government recognises that access to trusted and impartial energy efficiency and clean heat advice is crucial. The Government runs several digital services on GOV.UK, supported by a national phoneline, aimed at households. We are now streamlining these services into a single user journey to make it even easier for households to access information, including funding options and trusted installers. We encourage SMEs to visit the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides information and advice to SMEs on how to reduce energy use and carbon emissions.

What steps her Department is taking to assess the UK’s economically recoverable reserves of geothermal energy.

The Government has supported research on geothermal in which some assessment of the UK potential is made. This includes funding a 2023 evidence-based assessment of the UK opportunity (https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/new-report-assesses-deep-geothermal-energy-in-the-uk/); and commissioning additional research projects which will be published this summer. Together they will provide an update on geothermal energy generation cost estimates and make accessible currently disparate technical sources of geothermal data and information. The Mining Remediation Authority has also released opportunity maps for mine water heat (https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/0a4d95c1-5977-41a1-9c35-83017b871d22/mine-water-heat-opportunity-mapping-for-10-cities-in-england).

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring District Network Operators provide (a) free and (b) national access to data on (i) power cable routes, (ii) substation locations and (iii) spare capacity.

The Government recognises the value of electricity network data to energy stakeholders, for example in helping to identify where best to connect projects. The energy regulator, Ofgem, has placed licence obligations on energy networks, including distribution network operators (DNOs), to make network data open by default, subject to certain considerations such as national security [1]. As part of this, DNOs publish free data on their networks, including network capacity ‘heat maps’ [2]. Under its review of the regulation of connections, Ofgem is also considering how best to ensure that network companies continuously improve data visualisation tools [3]. [1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/decision/decision-updates-data-best-practice-guidance-and-digitalisation-strategy-and-action-plan-guidance[2] https://www.energynetworks.org/industry/connecting-to-the-networks/connections-data[3] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-11/Connections_End_to_End_Review_consultation.pdf

Whether his Department plans to help support the adoption of smart technologies in environmental (a) data collection and (b) monitoring involved in the (i) construction and (ii) development of offshore wind infrastructure.

The Clean Power Action Plan (CPAP) committed to delivering clean power by 2030 whilst enabling nature recovery. A key action in the CPAP is to consider options for harmonising the offshore wind environmental data and modelling used for assessing environmental impacts of offshore wind projects. The use of new and innovative smart technologies will be key in collecting, monitoring, analysing and harmonising environmental data for offshore wind development and the Government has partnerships in place to facilitate development of these technologies.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of Behind the Metre energy systems for energy-intensive industries.

There are increasingly greater opportunities for energy-intensive industries to make use of behind-the-meter energy systems. Demand flexibility, often in tandem with on-site generation and energy storage, enables industrial consumers to be financially rewarded for shifting their energy consumption to periods where energy is cheap, green and abundant, without compromising their commercial functions. The Department is continuing to build its evidence base on how demand flexibility, on-site generation and energy storage can be deployed to support our mission to deliver Clean Power by 2030 and beyond. This includes improving visibility of the complex challenges and barriers faced by energy-intensive industries to participating in and benefiting from demand flexibility.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of shared ground loops qualifying as an Innovative Measure under point 6 of eligibility requirements in the Energy Company Obligation 4 Scheme.

There is provision within the rules of ECO4 for shared ground loops to be delivered. Following the government consultation on mid-scheme changes to ECO4 and GBIS, legislation will be updated to specify that shared ground loop systems can be considered for Innovation Measures under ECO4. Amendments to legislation are expected to take effect later this year.