Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Domestic Energy Efficiency (Call for Evidence) 2025-12-02

02 December 2025 · 5 other contributors

Opened by Simon Opher Lab Stroud

EnergyNHSEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Simon Opher raised concerns about domestic energy efficiency (call for evidence) 2025-12-02 in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about the current framework for promoting domestic energy efficiency through subsidies, citing issues of confusion and high costs.
  • The debate highlighted the link between poor home energy efficiency and increased health risks, including mental and physical health problems, and financial strain on the NHS.
  • A proposal for an energy efficiency incentive that rewards long-term performance of energy efficiency measures has been developed by the Sustainable Energy Association to unlock greater investment.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Simon Opher Lab Stroud

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to issue a call for evidence relating to the promotion and funding of the installation of domestic energy efficiency measures; to require the Secretary of State to publish a response to the evidence received; and for connected purposes. We are now firmly within the year’s heating season, and the UK is facing challenges due to rising energy prices, surging fuel bills, and an estimated 6.1 million households living in fuel poverty. The current understanding is that insulation subsidy and technical details around this work have become confusing, chaotic, and costly. Energy efficiency measures are key to improving health outcomes by reducing risks of mental health conditions, physical health problems, and the financial burden on the NHS. Our framework of encouraging domestic energy efficiency through subsidies is unsustainable and we must look at ways to diversify our package of support for energy efficiency. The Sustainable Energy Association has developed a proposal for an energy efficiency incentive that can unlock greater investment by rewarding in-use performance of energy efficiency measures over several years.

Other contributors (5)
  • Simon Opher Lab Stroud

    The average household is facing an annual fuel bill of over £1,700, and around 2 million households are in arrears. Surging energy prices have plunged many deeper into fuel poverty, widening the average fuel poverty gap nearly twofold since 2020. The estimated number of households living in fuel poverty now stands at 6.1 million. We must address winter peak demand through energy efficiency measures to protect ourselves from rising energy costs due to Putin’s war in Ukraine.

  • Simon Opher Lab Stroud

    Energy efficiency is key to improving health outcomes by reducing risks of mental health conditions, physical health problems caused by cold homes, and the financial burden on the NHS. The Severn Wye Energy Agency in Stroud works with us in the NHS to provide help for patients whose housing causes ill health. Schemes under successive Governments have tended to use up-front payments to deliver energy efficiency measures, leading to boom and bust cycles that undermine confidence among both investors and consumers.

  • Simon Opher Lab Stroud

    Our current framework of encouraging domestic energy efficiency through subsidies is unsustainable. Dependency on subsidies can lead to disaster striking, as seen in the solar industry 10 years ago. We must look at ways to diversify our package of support for energy efficiency to prevent such impacts on the supply chain and workforce strength.

  • Simon Opher Lab Stroud

    The Sustainable Energy Association has developed a proposal for an energy efficiency incentive that can unlock greater investment by rewarding in-use performance of energy efficiency measures over several years through a revenue-based mechanism. This would lower fuel bills across the country and keep money in people’s pockets.

  • Simon Opher Lab Stroud

    A call for evidence is needed to invite other innovative proposals, addressing soaring energy bills, energy security, and the health of the UK population. The Bill would provide solutions that unite us as a House.

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