North Wales MS and Chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, Mark Isherwood MS, has highlighted failings of the Welsh Government’s Warm Homes Programme and called for the next iteration of the Programme to focus on lifting households out of fuel poverty, supporting those on the lowest incomes and living in the least efficient homes.
Speaking in yesterday’s Welsh Parliament Debate on the Equality and Social Justice Committee report – ‘Fuel poverty and the Warm Homes Programme’, Mr Isherwood referred to the fact that more than 80% of fuel poor households in Wales live in inefficient homes, higher than in any other UK nation, highlighted National Energy Action (NEA) Cymru concerns that current schemes are insufficient to deal with the scale of fuel poverty in Wales, and put forward their call for guaranteed support for the ‘worst first’.
He said:
“The Committee’s Report found that the Welsh Government’s £360 million Warm Homes Programme lacked ‘scale, size and purpose’. This is a matter of serious concern, as is the Report’s finding that the drastic changes to the energy market over the course of this year are expected to hit the poorest households in Wales harder than any other UK nation or region, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.”
He added:
“As National Energy Action (NEA) Cymru stated in their submission to the Committee’s Consultation: - ‘current schemes are insufficient to address the scale of fuel poverty in Wales, let alone decarbonise homes … now is a vital moment to consider how far the current Programme has taken us, and going forward take the opportunity to provide guaranteed support for the ‘worst first’ – i.e. those on the lowest incomes in the least efficient homes – improving the lives of fuel poor households as we decarbonise and upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes’.
“Poor energy efficiency is a key driver of fuel poverty and more than 80% of fuel poor households in Wales live in inefficient homes; higher than in any other UK nation. The resulting impact of poor-quality housing on health services is acute, costing the NHS in Wales approximately £95m every year. Conversely, Public Health Wales estimate that for every £1 spent on improving warmth in vulnerable households, this results in £4 of health benefits, and there could be close to 40% fewer hospital admissions for some cold-related illnesses in those with upgraded homes.
“The average annual saving for bringing a home up to a reasonable level of energy efficiency is over £300 and over £1,000 for the poorest households in the least efficient homes”.
“They concluded : ‘There must be adequate funding to meet the problem. This funding should be spent on a ‘fabric first’ basis, working on the energy efficiency of the built environment to get homes ‘Net Zero ready’ before, or at the same time as, making changes to the heating in a home.
“The Programme must be delivered with adequate advice and awareness-raising. There must also be trust from households that the changes that are made to their homes will be of good quality, underpinned by access to sufficient redress.
“Lastly, to ensure confidence, there must be transparency in (Welsh) Government plans. As both they and the Fuel Poverty Coalition Cymru state, it is vital that the next iteration of the Warm Homes Programme: focuses on lifting households out of fuel poverty, supporting the ‘worst-first’ (i.e. those on the lowest incomes, living in the least efficient homes), and is backed by sufficient long-term funding and legislation to meet targets set in the Welsh Government’s Tackling Fuel Poverty Plan.
“As the Auditor General for Wales stated in his report last November on the ‘Welsh Government’s management of the current Warm Homes Programme’: ‘when looking at any replacements for the Warm Homes
Programme, the Welsh Government have several issues to resolve’. “