Energy Security and Net Zero – in the House of Commons at on 6 January 2026.
Noah Law
Labour, St Austell and Newquay
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the warm home discount on levels of Fuel Poverty.
Martin McCluskey
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker, and to other hon. Members.
I am proud that the Labour Government have extended the warm home discount to an extra 2.7 million households, extending the total to around 6 million. The Conservatives opposed that change. It will make a vital difference to so many families this winter, including approximately an additional 220,000 households in the south-west. That is almost double the number of households supported year on year.
Noah Law
Labour, St Austell and Newquay
I greatly welcome these cuts to forthcoming Bills. Notwithstanding those potential improvements, many of my constituents in Roche, for example, live in areas not connected to the mains gas grid, and the initial outlay associated with implementing renewable technologies can be prohibitively expensive for people. Can the scope of the warm homes plan be extended so that areas rich in geological resources but exposed to Fuel Poverty, such as Roche, can benefit from geothermal heat networks and significantly reduce bills on the back of those cheap renewable sources?
Martin McCluskey
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My hon. Friend is a champion not just for his own Constituency, but for Cornwall as a whole. We support the development of geothermal projects and recognise, in particular, the potential of geothermal heat as a low-carbon source for heat networks. We will have more to say about that in the warm homes plan, which will be published soon.
Joshua Reynolds
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Investment and Trade)
Citizens Advice notes that the warm home discount has not kept pace with rising energy Bills and will struggle to touch the sides for families in energy debt. Will the Minister therefore commit to a Government review of whether the £150 discount provides sufficient support for the families who really need it right now?
Martin McCluskey
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government are gripped by the need to get energy Bills down. That is why in April we will take £150 off the cost of energy for everyone in the country, and why we extended the warm home discount this year to 6 million households, almost doubling the previous number, and we will continue to take action to reduce bills for people across the country.
A household is said to be in fuel poverty when its members cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost, given their income.
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