AgilityEco draft response to the DESNZ Fuel Poverty Strategy Consultation

We support retaining the target of ending fuel poverty in England by 2030 – whilst it is challenging, it provides certainty to industry and recognises the urgent need to support millions of households that are suffering and dying in cold homes. We cannot let them down by diluting or downgrading our ambitions. Tackling fuel poverty is also fantastic for the economy, creating thousands of skilled jobs in deprived areas, as well as supporting our hard-pressed NHS by reducing the number of people needing hospital and GP care.

We also believe that energy efficiency is the only sustainable way to bring down energy bills in the long term – that’s why the current definition of ‘Low Income Low Energy Efficiency’ (LILEE) makes sense. We do recognise that many households on low incomes that are struggling to heat their homes don’t meet this definition, so we support the Government’s proposal to introduce an affordability indicator that will sit alongside the LILEE measure and make it easier to understand the true number of low-income households that are unable to heat their homes.

The Government are developing their Warm Homes Plan to deliver this strategy and above all it must offer long-term certainty to allow businesses, councils, housing associations and other agencies to invest in expanding the schemes that are achieving these home improvements. The new Warm Homes Local Grant begins in April, and we welcome the ambition of it lasting three years or more. Similarly, every effort must be made to extend the ECO scheme and avoid any loss of momentum whilst new legislation is put in place.

Alongside the retrofit of homes, we argue for improving data sharing between agencies to better identify and engage vulnerable households, offering wraparound advice to vulnerable households to ensure the benefits of retrofit are maximised, and strengthening the follow-up monitoring and care that is provided.