Warm Home Discount Fuel Poverty 2025-11-18
2025-11-18
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
Buckinghamshire council has received more than £3 million in Government funding through the warm homes local grant to help residents with heating and energy efficiency this winter. Laura Kyrke-Smith is concerned about the impact of extending the Warm Home Discount on levels of fuel poverty.
Buckinghamshire council has received more than £3 million in Government funding through the warm homes local grant to help residents with heating and energy efficiency this winter through things like upgrading insulation or installing smart heating controls. Will the Minister join me in encouraging eligible households in Aylesbury and the villages to apply, and can he say what impact he thinks this will have on reducing fuel poverty?
I know that my hon. Friend will be doing all she can to encourage her constituents to sign up for these schemes and to ensure that as many households as possible take advantage of schemes like the warm homes local grant so that their houses are retrofitted and made fit for the future. We want people living in warm and dry homes, especially as we come through the winter. My hon. Friend might be interested to know that more than 3,200 households in her constituency have benefited from the warm home discount, and we expect even more to benefit this year with the expansion.
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Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The Government's extension of the Warm Home Discount to 6 million households aims to combat fuel poverty. However, Mary Kelly Foy is concerned that the current discount rate of £150 has stalled for a decade and does not rise in proportion to energy prices.
The Government’s extension of the warm home discount to 6 million households to combat fuel poverty was a welcome move. However, the current discount rate of £150 has stalled for a decade, not rising in proportion to energy prices. The average energy debt per person seen by Citizens Advice County Durham is in the region of £500, but advisers have seen several at £2,000-plus recently. Does the Minister agree with me and my colleagues at Citizens Advice County Durham that to truly provide transformational support as well as reduced debt levels in the energy sector, the Government should top up the scheme and reform the warm home discount so that it provides more tailored support?
Like my hon. Friend, I am concerned about levels of energy debt, which I also see in my own constituency. Ofgem is continuing work on the debt strategy, which includes a number of measures, and we are looking at the potential introduction of a debt relief scheme. On the warm home discount, we need to balance the needs of those at risk of fuel poverty with the consideration that the warm home discount has an impact on bills; we need to ensure that we balance that out with current consumers. There is currently a consultation running on the scheme for 2026 to 2031, which closes next Thursday; I encourage my hon. Friend and her local organisations, such as Citizens Advice County Durham, to respond to that consultation.
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Q3
Direct Answer
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The hon. Gentleman met with the Minister to discuss housing issues, focusing on support for households during winter.
As we look at future schemes, how can they apply to different types of housing across the country? What specific support is currently available this winter and who qualifies?
Future schemes will be designed to apply to different types of housing across the country. This winter, the support available is the warm home discount scheme, which offers £150 off bills to 6 million people across the country, representing one in six households. The Minister encouraged further suggestions and invited organisations to respond to a consultation running until next Thursday.
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