Your Type of Home news, page 7
- December 2023
ECIU publishes analysis of impact of scrapping MEES on renters in marginal seats
ECIU analysis says scrapping planned Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards could leave around 2.8m privately rented homes without improvements, with renters in marginal seats facing £40m a year in extra bills.
Petitions with over 800,000 signatures handed to the Prime Minister on energy bills and cold homes
Petitions carrying more than 800,000 signatures have been handed to the Prime Minister, as new figures show 8.3 million UK adults living in cold damp homes this winter.
Warm Home Discount scheme confirmed to run until at least March 2026
The government has confirmed the Warm Home Discount will run until at least March 2026, a further three winters, and more suppliers must now take part in the £150 scheme.
White Goods Scheme launched as a pilot in England and Wales
The British Gas Energy Trust has reported that its White Goods Scheme, piloted in England and Wales from December 2023, has supported an estimated 19,435 people across Britain.
- November 2023
Which? publishes Priority Places for Insulation Index mapping UK insulation need
Which? has published an interactive index ranking UK local areas by home insulation need, fuel poverty and the availability of insulation installers, with 13.3 million households estimated to need loft insulation.
Bristol City Council publishes V.3.1 Statement of Intent for ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme Flex
Bristol City Council has published version 3.1 of its flexible eligibility Statement of Intent for ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme, setting out four routes and seven proxies for identifying eligible households.
UK Government announces consultation on changing Permitted Development Rights in England
The UK Government will consult on changing Permitted Development Rights in England, including removing the one metre boundary rule for air source heat pumps, under plans announced at the Autumn Statement.
Which? launches priority places for insulation index and calls for insulation support for vulnerable households
Which? has published an index scoring all 650 UK constituencies for insulation need and called on the government to ensure support reaches fuel poor and vulnerable households.
Measure grading updated: battery storage and solar PV moved to A, charity exemption added
Delivery guidance for the Home Upgrade Grant was updated on 6 November 2023, moving battery storage and solar PV to grade A and exempting charities from the private rented sector four-property cap.
Survey finds 29% of UK population experiences mould at home
Research for the Warm This Winter campaign found 29% of UK adults, about 15.4 million people, experience mould at home frequently or occasionally, with 10% affected frequently.
- October 2023
Off-gas-grid fossil fuel heating ban delayed to 2035
The government has delayed its ban on installing oil, LPG and new coal heating in off-gas-grid homes from 2026 to 2035, while raising Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump grants to £7,500.
CREDS publishes preprint on energy impacts of cost-of-living crisis on British households
A CREDS preprint reports that British households used 8.4% less electricity and 10.8% less gas in winter 2022-23 than the winter before, yet still faced bills around £34 a month higher.
Pensioners to get up to £600 Winter Fuel Payment this year
The British Gas Energy Trust has set out Winter Fuel Payment amounts of £250 to £600 for older people across the UK, including an extra Pensioner Cost of Living Payment of £150 to £300.
Warm Home Discount scheme opens for applications
The Warm Home Discount opened for applications on 16 October 2023 for households in Great Britain that must apply to their supplier or prove eligibility, as National Energy Action warned of repeat missed payments.
New phase of Warmer Homes Scotland launched
The Scottish Government launched a new phase of Warmer Homes Scotland on 2 October 2023, shifting the national fuel poverty scheme towards clean heating where it is financially and technically feasible.
Successor Warmer Homes Scotland programme launched under the same name
The successor to Warmer Homes Scotland launched on 2 October 2023 under the same name, with a maximum contract value of up to £728 million over up to seven years and higher grant limits per household.
Second £300 cost of living payment made to means-tested benefit recipients
The second instalment of the government's £900 cost of living payment, worth £300, was paid to households on means-tested benefits during October and November 2023.
- September 2023
Phase-out of off-gas-grid fossil fuel boilers and new coal heating delayed to 2035
Rishi Sunak's September 2023 net zero speech delayed the phase-out of new oil and LPG boilers and coal heating for off-grid homes from 2026 to 2035, while raising Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants to £7,500.
NEA tells MPs over a million vulnerable households missed energy crisis support
National Energy Action told MPs that more than a million vulnerable households missed energy crisis support last winter, with £444 million of earmarked funding left unspent by the energy department.
Phase out date for new off-grid oil and LPG boilers put back to 2035
The Prime Minister announced in September 2023 that the phase out date for installing new oil and LPG boilers and new coal heating in off-grid homes would move from 2026 to 2035.
Rental MEES regulations scrapped
Rishi Sunak has scrapped planned regulations that would have required landlords in England and Wales to bring privately rented homes up to EPC C by 2028, part of a wider rollback of climate policies.
Stock take of Britain's energy system published
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition's September 2023 stock take records record unit costs, rising standing charges, £1bn of prepayment meter debt and 4,706 excess winter deaths in 2022/23.
- August 2023
Which? warns 13 million households not heating homes when cold due to bill fears
Which? has estimated that 13 million UK households did not heat their homes when it was cold last winter, and has repeated its call for a targeted social tariff before the October price cap is set.
E3G publishes report on supporting warmer homes for rural communities
E3G research published on 9 August 2023 sets out the higher fuel poverty gap faced by rural off-gas-grid households in England and recommends a rural uplift to two government heating schemes.
Consumer Council research estimates 51% of Northern Ireland households in fuel poverty
Consumer Council research estimates 51 per cent of Northern Ireland households were in fuel poverty in early 2023, up from 34 per cent in 2022, with 48 per cent unable to afford to heat their homes.
Nesta submits written evidence to Parliament on decarbonising home heating
Nesta has told Parliament that ministers should confirm a 2035 fossil fuel boiler phase-out, lift the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cap and cap the electricity to gas price ratio at 2.5.
- July 2023
E3G publishes Autumn Budget briefing urging fiscal support for private rented sector energy efficiency
E3G has published an Autumn Budget briefing calling on the Treasury to let landlords offset energy efficiency improvements against rental income and to support green lending for the private rented sector.
Solution for meter-to-IHD signal distance issues to be deployed
The energy industry has developed a technical fix for smart meter signals that fail to reach in-home displays in flats and other properties where the meter sits far from the home, with deployment from July 2023.
- June 2023
Committee on Fuel Poverty publishes annual report and NEA responds
National Energy Action has responded to the Committee on Fuel Poverty's annual report, warning that the least efficient homes face heating bills of around £4,000 to £5,000 a year and that England's efficiency targets are decades behind schedule.
Parliamentary answer reports Alternative Fuel Payment delivery figures
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has told Parliament that the Alternative Fuel Payment delivered £200 to around 2 million off-gas-grid households, with over 85% paid automatically in February.