Part of Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 6:15 pm on 28 February 2006.
Philip Hollobone
Conservative, Kettering
6:15,
28 February 2006
Has the Minister considered changing the way in which infrastructure charges are levied by gas transportation companies, particularly with regard to new developments? For example, when a new housing estate is being built, an infrastructure charge is levied on the house builder by the gas company for supplying that estate with gas pipelines. The same applies to electricity. As a way of encouraging energy efficiency, could there not be a mechanism by which the infrastructure charge for a house or houses that are accredited as energy efficient is less than the charge for a house or houses that fail to be accredited?
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