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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Energy Bills Support

Status: Closed Opened: 29 Nov 2024 Closed: 16 Jun 2025 3 recommendations 25 conclusions 1 report

Beginning in autumn 2021, energy bills began to increase significantly due to factors including increased global demand for gas post-pandemic, and the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on energy markets. Average annual household bills for gas and electricity increased from £1,277 in winter 2021/22 to over £4,000 by the start of 2023.The Government acted …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
19th Report - Energy Bills Support HC 511 28 Mar 2025 28 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
16 Conclusion 19th Report - Energy Bills Support Accepted in Part

Hard-to-reach households showed low take-up of alternative energy support funding schemes.

Take–up of the energy bills support schemes was lower among harder–to–reach households that did not receive a payment directly from their energy supplier; 41 and may have been affected disproportionately by energy price fluctuations.42 These households did not receive an automatic payment because, for example, they did not have a …

Government response. The government is considering options for better targeting of bill support schemes and working with other government departments to unlock data to enable targeting support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills; also expanding Warm Home …
HM Treasury
17 Recommendation 19th Report - Energy Bills Support Accepted in Part

Communication failures hampered support scheme reach to vulnerable households in need

Although the Department worked with local authorities on some of the schemes aimed at households who were harder to reach,44 the low take–up suggests that this approach did not identify all those in need.45 The Department said that it attempted to use intermediaries such as social landlords, providing funds directly …

Government response. The government agrees to consider better targeting of bill support schemes, including during energy crises, and is working with other departments and stakeholders to improve data use and effectiveness of support, aiming to reach a further 2.7 million households through …
HM Treasury
18 Conclusion 19th Report - Energy Bills Support Accepted in Part

Warm Home Discount scheme excludes high-energy-using vulnerable individuals from vital support

The Department said that the “biggest item of support” available to mitigate high energy prices this winter for vulnerable consumers, mainly those on benefits such as pension credit, is the Warm Home Discount scheme,47 which provides a £150 discount to eligible consumers.48 But certain vulnerable individuals like those with chronic …

Government response. The government is considering options for better targeting of bill support schemes and working with other government departments to unlock data to enable targeting support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills; also expanding Warm Home …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
6 Feb 2025 Ben Golding · Clean Power 2030, Jeremy Pocklington CB · Ministry of Defence, Jonathan Mills · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
8 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from the Interim Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy Securi…
4 Sep 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Energy Security and N…
17 Jul 2025 From cttee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Energy Security and Net…