Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Committee took evidence on Department's financial support for consumers with energy bills.
Conclusion
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (the Department) on its work to provide financial support to consumers in the light of significant increases in their energy bills.1
Government Response Summary
The government will share overarching lessons learned reports and domestic/non-domestic evaluation reports with the Committee upon their publication in Q3 2025, and will write to the Committee within one month of publication to detail learnings for future energy crises.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. learnt activities during delivery for each individual scheme, and across the portfolio of schemes since 2023. Lessons have included changing the way that the department delivers support to the non-domestic energy market, in addition to how the department overcomes barriers in providing support to ‘hard to reach’ consumers. The department has circulated overarching lessons learned reports internally and will share them with the Committee, along with the domestic and non-domestic evaluation reports upon their publication in Q3 2025. Alongside these lessons learnt activities, the evaluations of the domestic and non- domestic Energy Affordability schemes will be fully complete and published by Q3 2025. Within one month of publication the department will write to the Committee setting out the learnings from these schemes which can be applied in responding to any future energy price crisis. The Domestic Interim Process and Early Outcome Evaluations (for Great Britain and Northern Ireland) were completed and published in April 2025. These evaluations collected a wide range of evidence, including demonstrating successful deployment of schemes at pace to large numbers of households. It also highlights lessons relating to promoting awareness of the automatically delivered schemes; improving engagement of the application-based schemes (including households using alternative fuels and/or with complex relationships with intermediaries); the difficulties of targeting beyond those on means tested benefits. The forthcoming non-domestic energy affordability evaluation will include lessons for delivery to this sector, as well as highlighting how the department has improved its understanding of complex energy markets. million fuel poor households across Great Britain would receive the rebate, representing an increase of around 500,000 compared to the current scheme. In total the expansion of the scheme is estimated to reach a further 2.7 million households. 3.3 The department is considering options for better targeting of bill support schemes, including in the event of a future energy crisis. DESNZ is working closely with other government departments to unlock the data that will enable targeting support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills. The department is working with relevant stakeholders, including advocacy charities, to inform this work. Ministers regularly meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss fuel poverty strategy, and this has included the National Housing Federation.