Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Mike Weatherley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 November 2010. It was answered by Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative) on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Housing: Insulation

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he made of the (a) level of domestic gas consumption and (b) proportion of the change in that level of consumption attributable to the implementation of higher standards in respect of insulation in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009.
Answer

Statistics on annual gas consumption by households are published in the Digest of UK Energy statistics, copies of which are available in the House Library. Table 4.2 of the 2010 edition indicates the following domestic gas consumption levels.

Domestic gas consumption
GWh
2005 381,879
2006 366,928
2007 352,868
2008 359,554
2009 334,823

Gas consumption can be influenced by a number of factors, including price, external and internal temperatures, age and condition of the boiler and heating system, as well as insulation levels. Between 2005 and 2009 it is estimated that the number of homes with cavity wall insulation has increased from 6.8 million to 10.0 million.Analysis published by the Energy Saving Trust, available at"http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Energy-saving-assumptions"indicates that savings of around £110 can be made per year by adding cavity wall insulation to a gas heated three bedroom semi-detached property; at 3.67p per kWh this is equivalent to a reduction of around 3,000 kWh per year. However, the actual saving will depend on many factors such as house site and socio-economic factors, as well as varying by household type.Quantitative research is currently being carried out to examine the before and after gas consumption in relation to a variety of property types that have had cavities filled and lofts insulated during recent years, and how these compare to control groups. Findings from this research will be published next year.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
27246; 519 c673W
Session
2010-12
Subjects
Housing Insulation
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk