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12 Oct 2009 : Column 470W—continued
Latest data, for July to December 2008, show that UK domestic gas and electricity prices were the lowest and seventh lowest in the EU 15 (the original 15 EU member states) respectively.
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average expenditure on (a) gas and (b) electricity of a household in the UK was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) each month of 2008; and what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on equivalent figures for each other EU member state. [289945]
Mr. Kidney: The Department's latest estimates for the average annual domestic energy bills and provisional estimates for the year to 2009 and are published in Quarterly Energy Prices, published in September 2009.
For an average consumer using 18,000 kWh of gas per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average annual bill for gas was £474 in 2006, £552 in 2007, £570 in 2008 and £719 in 2009.
For an average consumer using 3,300 kWh of electricity per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average annual bill for electricity was £338 in 2006, £383 in 2007, £405 in 2008 and £460 in 2009. Average bills per month are not available.
DECC does not hold any information on average expenditure on gas and electricity by other EU member states. However regarding unit prices of gas and electricity in other EU member states, DECC republishes bi-annual data collected by Eurostat, the European statistical agency. The data are in Table 5.6.2 and 5.10.2 of Quarterly Energy Prices, published in September 2009 and available online at:
Latest data, for July to December 2008, show that UK domestic gas and electricity prices were the lowest and seventh lowest in the EU 15 (the original 15 EU member states) respectively.
Electricity: Storage
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on the development of (a) grid scale energy storage and (b) energy balancing technologies; and if he will make a statement. [289368]
Mr. Kidney: DECC's recently published "Delivering Secure Low Carbon Electricity: A Call for Evidence" asks for evidence from stakeholders on the potential of electrical energy storage to manage the balance between electricity supply and demand in the long-term.
Energy Best Deal
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009, Official Report, column 171W, on energy: consumers, how much funding (a) his Department and (b) Ofgem allocated to the Energy Best Deal pilot. [290029]
Mr. Kidney: The Department provided funding of £150,000 for the national roll-out of the Energy Best Deal in England and Wales during the winter of 2008-09. Ofgem funded the pilot phase in 2007-08, which cost £27,000.
Energy Savings Trust
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificate and (b) advisory report for each of the buildings occupied by the Energy Saving Trust's regional advice centres. [289647]
Joan Ruddock: The Energy Savings Trust's (EST) regional advice centres are not required to have display energy certificates or associated advisory reports for public buildings. However, as would be expected, EST has taken steps to identify the energy performance of its buildings.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget of the Energy Saving Trust was in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10; what it is planned to be in 2010-11; and how much of that funding was from his Department in each year. [289721]
Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee, and so their accounts are a matter of public record and are accessible at Companies House.
The following table highlights what DECC, and previously DEFRA, has given in funding to the EST for the valuable work it undertakes to encourage and promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy.
| £ million | ||
| Resource funding | Capital funding | |
The funding allocation for future years has not yet been confirmed.
Energy Supply
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the future regulation of the industrial energy supply sector. [290752]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 9 September 2009]: The Government continues to believe in the importance of well-regulated, competitive energy markets in the UK and internationally to ensure secure, affordable and low carbon energy supplies, whether for industrial, commercial or residential customers. Market conditions develop over time, and the Government will amend the UK regulatory framework as required to deliver these objectives while maintaining the stability necessary to support investment.
Energy Supply: Meters
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of customers using a pre-payment meter who have a household income below 60 per cent. of median income. [289645]
Mr. Kidney: In England in 2006, around 30 per cent. of households using a pre-payment meter for either their gas, electricity or both utilities had an income below 60 per cent. of the median.
The income measures used to derive the estimates employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. Small differences in the definition of income will exist because of the use of a different survey source.
Energy Supply: Security
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change against what numerical measures of security of supply of (a) gas and (b) electricity his Department collects information. [289874]
Mr. Kidney: The Department of Energy and Climate Change collects numerical information relating to gas and electricity security of supply. The data are available on an annual basis in DUKES (Digest of UK energy statistics). Quarterly and monthly data are also available at the following websites (where the corresponding tables in DUKES can also be found).
The key tables in DUKES are as follows:
UK gas production and imports: Table 4.3
Origin of imports: Table 4.5
Capacity of gas storage sites: Table 4.4
Gas consumption in the UK: Table 4.2
Fuel mix used in electricity generation: Table 5.6
Plant capacity: Table 5.7
Plant load factors and maximum demand: Table 5.10
Electricity consumption in the UK: Table 5.2
The Department also releases information relating to energy consumption by sector and end use; these data are available from the Energy Consumption in the UK section of the Departments website at:
In addition, the Department receives information from National Grid on electricity generation and network capacity and on gas flows and capacities which are referred to in Energy Markets Outlook.
Energy: Advisory Services
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 932W, on energy: advisory services, how many members of the public have visited each of the regional advice centres in each of the last five years. [289759]
Joan Ruddock: The roll out of the network of the Energy Saving Trust (EST) regional advice centres began in March 2008 and was completed in December 2008. The advice centres are not open to the public to visit, but provide the consumer with comprehensive and tailored advice on how to reduce their carbon footprint, through the Government-funded Act on C02 advice line and through outreach events. In 2008-09 the EST advised over 1.3 million consumers through their advice centres.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 932W, on energy: advisory services, what the cost of running each regional advice centre was in each of the last five years. [289760]
Joan Ruddock: The roll-out of the network of the EST regional advice centres began in March 2008 and was completed in December 2008. We are not able to provide details on the cost of running each regional advice centre as this information is commercially sensitive as the contracts were let by EST by competitive tender.
Energy: Housing
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made towards establishing a one-stop green homes service since the Prime Minister's announcement of the initiative in November 2007. [289447]
Joan Ruddock: Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement in November 2007, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) has established the Government funded Act on CO2 advice line and nationwide network of regional advice centres. The 'one-stop-shop' offers consumers a range of free and impartial advice on energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewable energy, low carbon transport, water efficiency and waste reduction and a range of independent services and sources of funding that will help them action that advice.
The EST will also be contacting all households with properties that have received the lowest home energy ratings (F and G ratings) in their Energy Performance Certificates, to offer tailored advice on energy savings measures that could be taken.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chorley of 23 April 2009, Official Report, columns 863-64W, on household energy efficiency, whether the seven million homes to be provided with whole house energy refurbishment by 2020 are in addition to the over five million homes insulated since 2002. [289534]
Joan Ruddock: Our goal is to have made whole-house packages of measures available to all homes by 2030. These packages would include all cost-effective energy saving measures and renewable heat and electricity measures as appropriate and we project that around seven million homes will have received them by 2020. This may include homes that have already been insulated since 2002, where scope exists for additional measures through the whole-house approach.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what expenditure the Energy Saving Trust incurred on energy efficiency measures in domestic dwellings in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09; and what estimate the Trust has made of such expenditure in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [289651]
Joan Ruddock: The Trust has not directly funded any domestic energy efficiency measures in households during the periods 2007-08 and 2008-09 as it is not the Energy Saving Trust's role to directly fund such measures. The Trust does not plan to fund these measures in future years.
The Trust raises consumers' awareness of the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures and then converts that awareness into action. It does this by sign-posting and guiding consumers to appropriate grant and offer schemes for energy efficiency measures such as insulation.
Energy: Import Duties
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department holds information on (a) gas and (b) electricity tariffs charged by UK energy supply companies to customers in other countries. [289894]
Mr. Kidney: DECC does not hold information on tariffs offered by different supply companies within other countries. Eurostat collates equivalent figures on average unit prices in other EU countries, which DECC publishes.
Energy: International Co-operation
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps the Government has taken with international partners to achieve a low carbon global economy. [291531]
Joan Ruddock: The UK Government are committed to a low carbon global economy. Internationally, we are working through fora including the G8, G20 and Major Economies Forum, to stimulate a low carbon recovery and support a transition to a low carbon economy.
This was a key priority for the G20 London summit, chaired by the Prime Minister. The summit communiqué makes building a green and sustainable economy one of
the six core commitments of economic recovery made by the G20 countries, and 'accelerating the transition to a green economy' one of the goals of fiscal expansion. G20 leaders also agreed a strong commitment to achieving an international climate change agreement at Copenhagen-the first time all major countries have collectively done so. Achieving an ambitious agreement will be an important step towards creating an international framework which supports a low carbon global economy.
Energy: Internet
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many hits the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment website has received since its creation. [289648]
Mr. Kidney: The Offshore Energy SEA website received 1,397,543 successful requests for pages from 40,315 distinct hosts between 10 December 2007 (when scoping began) and 24 July 2009.
Energy: Prices
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2009, Official Report, column 681W, on energy: prices, when he expects the proposals on which Ofgem has consulted to be implemented. [289754]
Mr. Kidney: On 21 September Ofgem released a note on the implementation of these measures. This is available from Ofgem's website at this address:
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the effects of increases in energy prices on small and medium-sized businesses. [290748]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 9 September 2009]: DECC is keenly aware of the impact of past increases in energy costs on small and medium sized businesses. Wholesale energy costs have fallen in recent months, creating the potential for businesses renewing contracts or agreeing new ones to look for price reductions in comparison with earlier in the year.
DECC welcomes the measures recently announced by Ofgem to improve the operation of the SME supply market. DECC receives information and considers data and analysis on the impacts of energy prices, from a number of sources. DECC publishes data on energy prices, based on energy consumption levels.
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