Welsh Assembly Government in talks with energy suppliers to tackle fuel poverty

Environment Sustainability and Housing Minister Jane Davidson met Energy Retail Association (ERA) Chief Executive Duncan Sedgwick and others from the Energy Retail Association for talks on how to tackle fuel poverty in Wales this week (Monday, 16 June).

Ms Davidson and key representatives of ERA – which represents the six main energy supply companies who provide 99% of domestic energy supply – met as part of on-going efforts to tackle fuel poverty in Wales. ERA’s membership is made up of Scottish and Southern Energy (including SWALEC); Scottish Power (including MANWEB); Eon; EDF Energy; npower and British Gas/Nwy Cymru.

Ms Davidson said that the Assembly Government will continue to work together with the energy suppliers to tackle fuel poverty.

She said: “Rising costs and prices will inevitably have a negative impact on fuel poverty in Wales. We are looking at what we can do within the areas of the Assembly Government’s powers to improve this situation and to tie this in with work that can be done by other key players, especially the energy suppliers'.

Duncan Sedgwick, Chief Executive of the ERA said: "We recognise that there are various particular characteristics to fuel poverty in Wales. These include the nature of the housing stock, high levels of rurality and higher than average number of households without access to the gas grid. We are exploring ways forward with WAG that would enable the industry to help with these specific problems. We will continue to work with the Assembly Government, and other stakeholders in Wales, to identify fuel poor households and develop targeted measures that can be implemented in the run up to next winter and beyond."

Ms Davidson and Mr Sedgwick also agreed that in the longer term two measures that can be particularly expected to assist in reducing domestic energy costs are the inclusion of Wales in the UK's pilot Low Carbon Building Programme and the roll-out of Smart Meters.

The Assembly Government aims to have a National Energy Efficiency & Saving Plan ready for consultation by the end of the year which will review the existing fuel poverty strategy, and also to revise the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) so that it can better address fuel poverty in the current economic climate.

                                                                                                                               
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