Written question asked by Lord Dykes (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour) on Thursday, 20 November 2008.

Housing: Energy Efficiency

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to promote the filling of cavity walls in United Kingdom homes, in order to reduce the costs of heating and promote energy efficiency.

Answer: The carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) is the principal driver of energy efficiency improvements in existing homes in Great Britain. Under CERT, electricity and gas suppliers are required to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency in Great Britain. CERT drives energy suppliers to invest around £1 billion per year into households and the Prime Minister has proposed to increase supplier targets by a further 20 per cent. We expect it to cut the number of homes without cavity wall insulation by around a third, from 8 million to around 5 million by 2011. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) funds the Warm Front scheme, which is the Government's main programme for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England. Warm Front provides a grant for specified heating and insulation measures, such as cavity wall insulation of up to £2,700, to households in receipt of certain means-tested or disability benefits. Similar schemes exist in the devolved nations to tackle fuel poverty and energy efficiency. The government-funded Act on CO2 advice line, run by the Energy Saving Trust, provides free, expert advice to all callers in the UK on how to save energy in the home, including the filling of cavity walls, and provides easy access to the free and subsidised offers available. They can be contacted on 0800 512 012.

Secondary information