Written questions by Collins.

What assessment his department has made of the impact of the Iran War on heating oil costs for houses and businesses in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The Government is aware of the exposure heating oil has to the short-term volatility in global oil prices, which we recognise it is a significant concern for those reliant on it. This is why the Chancellor announced £53 million for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices, £27m is for England and is being delivered through the Crisis and Resilience Fund in England. The Department has also worked closely with the Competition and Markets Authority to monitor profiteering or unfair practices. The CMA has commenced an accelerated Heating Oil Market Study, and are looking into further consumer protections.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of Government decarbonisation support for medium-sized community buildings that are not classified as public sector bodies.

Eligible community buildings can access support through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides grants of up to £7,500 towards the installation of low‑carbon heating systems. Landlords and tenants in this sector can search for local grant and advice schemes via the Government’s finance and support for businesses pages at: https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support. They can also access energy efficiency advice through the Government’s Business Energy Efficiency Campaign at: https://businessenergyefficiency.campaign.gov.uk/

What progress her Department has made to help improve the energy efficiency of homes in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The recently published Warm Homes Plan, backed by £15 billion, represents biggest investment in home upgrades ever. Households, including in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, will be able to benefit from solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation that can cut energy bills and improve energy efficiency. The Warm Homes Plan makes an offer to every household, and we will reach up to 5 million homes by 2030, through direct support for those on low incomes and in fuel poverty, and innovative low-interest finance available to all. New energy efficiency standards in the private and social rented sectors will also lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce annual increases in household energy bills in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Tackling the affordability crisis is Government’s number one priority. Energy bills remain too high – that is why we are acting to bring bills down now and for the long term. At the last Budget, we took an average of £150 of costs off energy bills from this coming April. On top of this around six million households will receive the £150 Warm Home Discount, after we expanded the scheme for this winter. In addition, the Government’s 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. The £15 billion total includes £5 billion directed towards low income and fuel poor households, helping to lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030.

What plans his Department has to introduce targeted energy‑bill support for households with high energy consumption due to caring responsibilities.

The affordability crisis is the biggest issue facing this country, that is why the Autumn Budget acted to take an average £150 of costs off people’s energy bills. This support comes on top of the £150 off energy bills provided for around 6 million families under the Warm Home Discount this winter, cutting fuel poverty. The Government is also driving forward with home upgrades, through the £15 billion Warm Homes Plan.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of joining Euroclusters.

The Euroclusters initiative is an online hub funded by the EU and targeted at industry stakeholders across Europe and globally. There are currently 145 UK organisations in the Euroclusters directory. UK companies and cluster organisations are free to make their own assessments of the benefits of joining the platform.

What estimate he has made of the number of unpaid carers living in fuel poverty.

The Government has made no such estimate. The information requested is not held. The Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and recently published a new fuel poverty strategy for England outlining our plan to lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030.

What steps his Department is taking to facilitate data centre and digital infrastructure access to renewable energy sources.

Data centres can be located where there is surplus renewable power, so they can use that generation, helping to balance supply and demand and reducing network constraints. As part of the AI Growth Zone package, the proposed AI Growth Zone Energy Support Scheme will provide energy price discounts for data centres located in Scotland, North-East England and Cumbria, where they can help to reduce the overall costs of running the electricity system. This will incentivise location in regions where there is a surplus of renewable generation, maximising the use of this power by data centres and minimising use of gas.

What plans his Department has to accelerate grid upgrades to support the connection of AI and data centre infrastructure.

The Government is implementing a comprehensive package to accelerate grid upgrades, addressing decades of underinvestment to deliver clean and affordable electricity and support timely grid connections. As announced in November, the Government will use powers taken in the Planning and Infrastructure Act to reserve and reallocate future capacity for strategic projects, including AI Growth Zones. All designated AI Growth Zones will benefit from dedicated optioneering support through the Connections Accelerator Service. Furthermore, we will develop plans alongside Ofgem to enable AI Growth Zones developers to build their own high voltage grid infrastructure.

Whether he plans to make changes to the (a) accreditation, (b) certification and (c) guarantee regime of (i) installers and (ii) retrofit coordinators working under (A) ECO4, (B) future Warm Homes Plan programmes and (C) other Government-funded retrofit schemes to prevent (1) rogue and (2) negligent firms participating.

The government is reviewing the system of consumer protection and oversight for home retrofit installations that improve energy efficiency and decarbonise homes. This work is looking at the entire landscape: from how installers work in people’s homes to where homeowners turn for rapid action and enforcement if things go wrong. More information will be shared in the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan. The government is planning to consult on proposals for retrofit system reform early next year.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that homes which have received (a) insulation and (b) internal wall insulation under the ECO4 scheme are independently inspected any sub-standard or unsafe work is remediated at no cost to the homeowner, and that the homeowner is informed of their rights to redress.

Government is offering free inspections of all properties where external wall insulation was fitted under ECO4. Ofgem will contact every household with external wall insulation that has not yet been audited. Remediation is already taking place to address substandard and unsafe work, and over half of the issues identified to date have been fixed. They will be rectified at no cost to the consumer. Issues in external wall insulation are substantially higher than those for internal wall insulation. If customers have concerns about the quality of their internal wall insulation, they can contact their original installer or Ofgem’s dedicated helpline.

Whether his Department plans to include natural stone in future (a) low-carbon and (b) sustainable construction incentive schemes.

The department is currently developing policies that will help grow the market for low carbon industrial products, including green procurement and improved carbon accounting. The initial focus of these policies is steel, cement, and concrete products used in construction. The department recently ran a technical consultation that included questions on whether other industrial sectors should be included in the scope of these policies in future. Although natural stone was not explicitly mentioned in the consultation, it would align with one of the options; to take a strategic approach to expand these policies to other sectors related to construction. The department is currently reviewing the responses to this consultation and will publish a summary and its own response in due course. The government also recognises the role that whole life carbon assessments can play in helping developers to evaluate carbon emissions across all stages of a building or structure’s life. This approach can support decision makers to adopt materials which have a lower overall environmental impact. Whole life carbon assessments are embedded into green procurement approaches being taken by government departments, such as instituting carbon management plans. The department would welcome engagement with any interested stakeholders from the natural stone sector.

What discussions his Department has had with energy suppliers on the level of their compliance with licence requirements to ensure that direct debit levels reflect customers’ actual energy use and account balances.

In the year to June 2025, Ofgem data shows that there has been a fall by around £500m of credit balances held by suppliers (Domestic Energy Customer Credit Balances, July 2024 to June 2025 | Ofgem) Customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier if they disagree with it and ask the supplier to justify how they calculated the new amount. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings they used. If a customer is not happy with the supplier’s calculation, they can ask the supplier to lower the monthly payments to reflect the energy use more accurately. Additionally, if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it. Suppliers must do this promptly unless there are reasonable grounds not to and the supplier must explain the reasons for not doing so.

Whether he plans to require energy suppliers to pay interest on significant customer credit balances held for extended periods.

In the year to June 2025, Ofgem data shows that there has been a fall by around £500m of credit balances held by suppliers (Domestic Energy Customer Credit Balances, July 2024 to June 2025 | Ofgem) Customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier if they disagree with it and ask the supplier to justify how they calculated the new amount. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings they used. If a customer is not happy with the supplier’s calculation, they can ask the supplier to lower the monthly payments to reflect the energy use more accurately. Additionally, if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it. Suppliers must do this promptly unless there are reasonable grounds not to and the supplier must explain the reasons for not doing so.

What discussions he has had with Ofgem on the (a) total value of credit balances currently held by domestic energy suppliers and (b) steps it is taking to ensure that surplus credit is refunded promptly to customers.

In the year to June 2025, Ofgem data shows that there has been a fall by around £500m of credit balances held by suppliers (Domestic Energy Customer Credit Balances, July 2024 to June 2025 | Ofgem) Customers may challenge increased direct debit payment amounts with their supplier if they disagree with it and ask the supplier to justify how they calculated the new amount. Suppliers must explain clearly how they reached the figure they want to charge and give the meter readings they used. If a customer is not happy with the supplier’s calculation, they can ask the supplier to lower the monthly payments to reflect the energy use more accurately. Additionally, if a customer is concerned about the size of a credit balance on their energy account, they can ask their supplier to refund it. Suppliers must do this promptly unless there are reasonable grounds not to and the supplier must explain the reasons for not doing so.

What steps his Department is taking to help support (a) rural and (b) off-grid households that use heating oil in the context of the Warm Homes Plan; and what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of renewable liquid heating fuels for supporting those households to decarbonise affordably.

For most off-grid properties, decarbonising heat will involve installing a heat pump. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants offer £7,500 for heat pumps, and £5,000 for biomass boilers in specific rural cases. The government recognises that renewable liquid fuels (RLF) could play a role in heating. We expect sustainable biomass, a limited resource, to be prioritised where there are fewer alternatives to decarbonisation. RLFs are also more expensive to use than other heating solutions. The government continues to review evidence on the affordability and availability of sustainable feedstocks for RLFs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27613 on Offshore Industry: North Sea, what further steps his Department is taking to avoid prejudicing future regulatory decision-making on this matter.

Neither the Secretary of State nor I will be commenting on the specifics of individual in order to avoid potentially prejudicing any future regulatory decisions the Secretary of State is required to make in relation to these projects. We remain committed to having the supplementary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guidance in place as soon as possible. Once it is published, assessments of environmental statements can resume.

What steps his Department is taking to support job creation in the renewable energy sector in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) Hertfordshire.

The Government’s initial assessment of the challenges of building the skilled workforce to deliver the Clean Energy Superpower Mission has been outlined in the Clean Power Action Plan. The Plan includes an Evidence Annex which provides a basis for Government to better understand the 2030 workforce requirements and support targeted skills planning. By 2030, the clean energy transition could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, benefiting communities across the UK representing the economic opportunity of the century.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the energy efficiency of homes in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future, including those in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. We will upgrade up to 5 million homes across the country by accelerating the installation of efficient new technologies like heat pumps, solar, batteries and insulation. The Government has announced Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund in England, to support social housing providers and tenants, as well as the new Warm Homes: Local Grant to support low-income homeowners and private tenants. The Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency. We will publish further details on the Warm Homes Plan in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to support the development of green technologies.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth and scaling-up of green technologies, including through the creation of GB Energy, as part of its Clean Energy Superpower Mission. The Government will set out its full approach to seizing the growth opportunities from clean energy industries in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.