Your Type of Home news from 2022
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- December 2022
UK government confirms voucher delivery for £600 Northern Ireland energy bill support
The UK government has confirmed that around 500,000 Northern Ireland households without direct debits will receive £600 energy bill support as vouchers issued from mid-January 2023.
Government confirms £600 single payment for Northern Ireland households and £200 Alternative Fuel Payment for Great Britain
The government has confirmed a single £600 payment for all Northern Ireland households and a £200 Alternative Fuel Payment for Great Britain homes using fuels such as heating oil, with payments starting in January 2023.
NEA projects 8.4 million UK households in fuel poverty from April 2023
National Energy Action projects 8.4 million UK households will be in fuel poverty from April 2023, up from 4.5 million, as the Energy Bills Support Scheme ends and the price guarantee rises.
Partnership project launches to support terminally ill people in fuel poverty
A partnership led by gas distributor SGN with Cadent, Northern Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities is funding energy advice and benefits support for terminally ill people in fuel poverty across Britain.
Research reveals nine million adults living in cold damp homes at Christmas
A Warm This Winter survey of 2,186 adults found 18 per cent of the population, or 9.02 million adults, were living in cold damp homes in December 2022.
Research reveals PPM customers living in cold damp homes and self-disconnecting
Research for the Warm This Winter campaign finds 64% of prepayment meter customers are vulnerable, 13% have self-disconnected and 31% live in cold damp homes.
Solar Energy UK publishes The Value of New Build Solar report calling for mandatory solar on new homes
Solar Energy UK has published The Value of New Build Solar, modelling bill and carbon savings across four UK case studies and calling for mandatory solar on new homes in England, Scotland and Wales.
- November 2022
Trickle vent rules take effect in Wales
Changes to Approved Document F requiring trickle vents in the majority of replacement windows and doors came into effect in Wales on 23 November 2022, five months after the same rules began in England.
CIPHE responds to Autumn Statement 2022 warning on fuel poverty
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has called the 2022 Autumn Statement a first step, warning that more immediate action is needed to reduce the threat of fuel poverty for struggling households.
Household Support Fund extended to 31 March 2024
The Autumn Statement of 17 November 2022 added £1 billion to the Household Support Fund, extending it in England by twelve months to 31 March 2024.
Second instalment of Cost of Living Payment paid in November 2022
The second instalment of the GBP 650 Cost of Living Payment, worth GBP 324, was paid automatically to most eligible low-income households in November 2022.
West Midlands awarded more than £1m for Warmer Homes West Midlands programme
The West Midlands Combined Authority has awarded more than £1 million to Act on Energy to expand free energy advice for vulnerable households across the region this winter.
Autumn Statement 2022 allocates £1 billion to Household Support Fund
The Government has said local councils will receive £1 billion for the Household Support Fund, announced in the Autumn Statement 2022, as disability charity Scope reports low awareness of the scheme.
Scottish Government publishes cost of living crisis analytical report
The Scottish Government's November 2022 cross-government analysis estimated around 860,000 households in Scotland, 35 per cent, would be in fuel poverty under a £2,500 price cap scenario.
- October 2022
Guidance updated with delivery, funding and definitions clarifications
The government has updated its guidance for the closed Sustainable Warmth Competition, clarifying delivery, timescales, grant funding, eligible homes and costs, and adding a definitions section.
Autumn Statement 2022 announces EPG increase
The Autumn Statement 2022 raised the Energy Price Guarantee to £3,000 for typical annual household consumption from April 2023 and extended it to the end of March 2024.
CO alarm requirement for landlords in England took effect
From 1 October 2022 landlords in England must provide a carbon monoxide alarm in any living accommodation room containing a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers.
Fuel poverty estimates to rise with 1 October price cap change
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates 21 million people in around 9 million homes will be in fuel poverty from the 1 October price cap rise, rising to 28 million people in January 2023.
GBP2,500 price freeze reported to take effect with fuel poverty still affecting millions
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates 16.4 million people in 6.9 million UK households will remain in fuel poverty in winter 2022/23 even under a reported GBP2,500 price freeze.
- September 2022
Up to £1.5 billion Help to Heat funding launched for SHDF wave 2 and Home Upgrade Grant
The government has opened up to £1.5 billion in Help to Heat funding for social housing providers and local authorities in England to upgrade around 130,000 low-income and social homes.
Government confirms energy bill support for Northern Ireland and off-grid homes
The government has confirmed Energy Price Guarantee support, the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme discount and a £100 alternative fuels payment for Northern Ireland and off-grid households.
Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandEnergy Bills and the Price Cap
CIPHE warns households about burn and scald risks from heating hacks
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has warned that cost of living driven changes to heating systems may cause burns and scalds, especially in households with young, elderly or disabled occupants.
Mini-Budget pledges over GBP1bn for home insulation
The Chancellor's mini-Budget pledged more than GBP1bn of extra funding for home insulation over three years, which the End Fuel Poverty Coalition says falls far short of the GBP5bn needed.
Warmer Homes Scotland contract due to expire
The Scottish Government's national fuel poverty scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland, was due to end in September 2022, with ministers proposing a new seven year successor scheme to replace it.
- August 2022
Warm This Winter campaign launches in response to energy bills crisis
The Warm This Winter campaign launched on 26 August 2022, demanding emergency financial support, funded home insulation and a faster shift from gas to renewables as energy bills rose.
Warmer Homes Scotland criteria revised
Scottish ministers revised the eligibility criteria for Warmer Homes Scotland in August 2022, widening access to the national fuel poverty scheme, particularly for households aged 60 to 75.
- July 2022
NEA projects 8.2 million UK households could be in fuel poverty from October
National Energy Action has projected that 8.2 million UK households, one in three, could be in fuel poverty from October if the price cap takes average annual bills to £3,250.
NEA publishes Impact Report for April 2021 to March 2022
National Energy Action has published an impact report for April 2021 to March 2022, saying more than 6.5 million UK households were in fuel poverty after the 1 April price cap rise.
Consortium secures £7.5M from Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
A West Midlands consortium has secured £7.5M from the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to retrofit 600 social homes with low carbon heating and solar panels.
First instalment of Cost of Living Payment paid in July 2022
The first instalment of a GBP 650 Cost of Living Payment reached around 8 million low-income households in July 2022, with a second instalment due in November 2022.
- June 2022
Part L uplift and Part O came into effect
The 2021 uplift to Part L of the Building Regulations and the new Part O overheating requirement took effect on 15 June 2022, setting fabric and ventilation standards for new homes in England.
Rules and RegulationInsulation and GlazingCooling and Air Conditioning
Citizens Advice warns 585,000 private renters risk missing energy bill support
Citizens Advice says 585,000 private renters whose landlords control their energy bills may be unable to claim the £150 Warm Home Discount and the £400 grant due in October.
Vaillant heat pump retrofit at Rivermead House cuts tenant bills
Derby Homes fitted 54 off-gas-grid flats at Rivermead House with individual Vaillant aroTHERM 5kW air source heat pumps at £6,000 per flat, cutting typical household energy costs from about £1,250 to £730 a year.
Interim Part F and Part L building regulation changes take effect
Interim changes to Parts F and L of the building regulations have applied since June 2022, requiring new homes in England to produce 31 per cent less carbon dioxide than previous standards.
- May 2022
EBSS doubled to £400 and made non-repayable
The Chancellor doubled the Energy Bills Support Scheme to £400 on 26 May 2022 and made it a non-repayable grant, replacing the original £200 discount that households would have repaid.
Government announces energy bills support measures in House of Commons
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has written to the Chancellor listing ten unanswered questions about the energy bills support announced in the House of Commons on 26 May 2022, warning it will not fix fuel poverty.
Household Support Fund extended to 31 March 2023
The government has extended the Household Support Fund to 31 March 2023 with an additional £500 million, bringing total funding announced since October 2021 to £3 billion including Barnett impact.
NEA responds to BEIS consultation on Energy Bills Support scheme
National Energy Action has told BEIS that its Energy Bills Support scheme has significant deficiencies, warning that the poorest households may receive less or no benefit while paying for it.
Cost of living support package announced
The government doubled supplier loans to £400 per household as non-refundable payments and added payments of £650, £300 and £150, raising the local authority fund to £1.5 billion.
End Fuel Poverty Coalition writes to Chancellor over ten failures in energy bills plans
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has written to the Chancellor listing ten unanswered questions about the Government's 26 May energy bills support and asking for a meeting to discuss them.
- April 2022
New Welsh Government estimates show up to 45% of Welsh households in fuel poverty
New official Welsh Government estimates show up to 45% of households in Wales are likely to be in fuel poverty, with 115,000 households in severe fuel poverty, according to National Energy Action.
Over 6.3 million homes to be in fuel poverty from 1 April 2022
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates more than 6.3 million homes will be in fuel poverty from 1 April 2022, with 2.2 million of them households containing dependent children.
Energy Company Obligation expanded to £1 billion per year from 2022-2026
The Energy Company Obligation will be expanded to £1 billion a year from 2022 to 2026 under the British Energy Security Strategy, supporting 113,000 low-income households annually.
Ofgem price cap increase to coincide with predicted rise in child fuel poverty to over 2.5m households
End Fuel Poverty Coalition calculations predict more than 2.5 million households with children will be in fuel poverty from 1 April 2022, when the next Ofgem price cap increase takes effect.
- March 2022
Additional Household Support Fund funding provided
The Chancellor added £500 million to the Household Support Fund from April 2022, doubling its total to £1 billion, alongside a five-year VAT cut on home energy saving materials.
Chancellor announces further £500 million for the Household Support Fund
The Chancellor announced a further £500 million for the Household Support Fund in the March 2022 Spring Statement, bringing total funding for the scheme to £1 billion since October 2021.
Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund began delivery
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund began delivering energy efficiency measures in March 2022, part of a year in which government-backed scheme installations fell 55 per cent.
- February 2022
UK Government releases new fuel poverty statistics for England
Government figures show 3.16 million English households in fuel poverty in 2020, and the charity National Energy Action warns current progress would take over 60 years to meet statutory targets.
Government announced further £67 million for Home Upgrade Grant phase one
The government announced a further £67 million on 21 February 2022, offered to successful local authorities to supplement funding under Home Upgrade Grant phase one.
NEA calls UK Government energy crisis measures woefully inadequate
National Energy Action has called the UK Government's £200 rebate and Council Tax support woefully inadequate, saying prepayment households still face a gap of more than £500 a year.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed by Chancellor
The Chancellor has confirmed the Warm Home Discount will rise to £150 and cover three million households from October, as Ofgem's price cap increase pushes average bills up by more than 54 per cent.
Levelling Up White Paper published
The Levelling Up White Paper of 2 February 2022 sets out funding for energy efficiency in the worst performing homes and cites over 240,000 low carbon jobs by 2035.
Additional tolerable standard requirement delayed
Scottish Ministers have delayed by one year the date on which fire and carbon monoxide detection and warning equipment becomes part of the tolerable standard for housing in Scotland.
UK Government releases new fuel poverty statistics for England
New government fuel poverty statistics for England show a lack of progress towards statutory commitments, with charities warning it will take over 60 years to meet them.
SHDF wave 1 awarded £179 million to 69 projects
Wave 1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund awarded £179 million to 69 projects in February 2022, upgrading up to 20,000 social housing properties across England.
- January 2022
New Approved Document Part O on overheating introduced
The government's Approved Document Part O, covering overheating in new homes and buildings where people sleep overnight, has been introduced, with two routes to compliance and implications for apartment and communal heating schemes.
NEA Northern Ireland welcomes launch of DfC Emergency Fuel Payment Scheme but says £2M budget falls short
National Energy Action Northern Ireland has welcomed the Department for Communities Emergency Fuel Payment Scheme for 20,000 households but says its £2 million budget falls far short of what is needed.
Energy Saving Trust publishes response to off-gas-grid fossil fuel heating consultation
The Energy Saving Trust has published its response to a government consultation on phasing out fossil fuel heating in homes off the gas grid, backing a heat pump first approach from 2026.
NEA publishes response to BEIS consultation on phasing out fossil fuel heating in off gas grid homes
National Energy Action has told BEIS that phasing out fossil fuel heating off the gas grid must come with adequate funding and advice for low income households, including support for hybrid systems.