The Welsh government has released a written statement in regard to its draft plan for tackling fuel poverty in Wales.
The plan initially published at the end of September proposes to reduce estimated levels of fuel poverty over course of the next 15 years, and sets out a series of ways in that reduction can begin during the immediate future.
Part of the plan is to give the Warm Homes programme a boost, which will:
- Continue to target support to lower income households who are at risk of, or living in fuel poverty
- Continue to advance a fabric first approach to home energy efficiency retrofit, installing the most appropriate energy efficiency measures to enable householders to maintain a satisfactory heating regime at an affordable cost
- Continue to focus investment on the most thermally inefficient homes in Wales
- Work towards the eradication of the burning of coal, wood and heating oil in our homes for primary heating purposes as part of our commitments set out in our clean air plan and our ambition to be net zero by 2050
- Install low carbon heating systems and reduce the overreliance on the burning of fossil fuels to heat our homes, managing this transition in a way which does not result in more households becoming fuel poor
In a written statement on the draft plan published on 20 October, Lesley Griffiths MS, minister for Environment, Energy, and Rural Affairs, said: “As part of our plan, I am also proposing to do more to improve advice and support services to vulnerable households and people dis-engaged from the energy market.
“In the coming months, I expect to begin a pilot to explore what can be achieved by taking a more proactive approach to energy efficiency advice and support.”
Griffiths added: “Alongside this, investment in improving the energy efficiency of our homes is, and will continue to be a priority for this government.
“The work being undertaken by my cabinet colleague, the minister for Housing and Local Government, as part of the Optimised Retrofit Pilot and our Innovative Housing Programme, will ensure schemes delivering energy efficiency measures achieve the best outcomes for householders and the environment.
“This work links directly to our efforts to decarbonise Welsh housing and our ambitions to reconstruct an economy better able to deliver against our climate ambitions.”
Repairs ban update
Earlier this week, the Welsh government also reversed its decision to ban non-essential repairs during lockdown.
Updated guidance published by the Welsh government now states that work can be carried out in people’s homes “as long as it is managed in a safe way and both the worker and household members are well and have no symptoms of coronavirus”.
However, the government recommends that people consider whether the work can be safely pushed back until after the lockdown.
A ‘firebreak’ lockdown is due to be enforced in Wales from 6pm this Friday and is expected to last till 9 November.
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