Recommendation 23

At our evidence session, the Department could not provide an up-to-date figure for the Programme’s costs and benefits. It considers that both costs and benefits will have increased since 2019, given: a) lower installer efficiency and delays during COVID-19 increasing costs generally, together with higher than anticipated labour costs; and b) HM Treasury revisions to carbon prices and the increase in retail energy costs following increasing demand for energy after the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.73 We highlighted that the scale and size of the Programme, and length of time it will run for, meant the Department should be providing more regular information for Parliament to assess its progress. The Department acknowledged our arguments for reporting more data (including cost data) regularly to Parliament, while noting that it would want ministerial consent before agreeing to do so.74 64 Correspondence submitted by Head of Future Retail Markets, Energy UK, dated 6 July 2023 65 Q 122 66 Qq 122–123 67 Q 56; C&AG’s Report, para 2.20 68 Q 119 69 C&AG’s Report, para 2.20 70 C&AG’s Report, para 3, Figure 1 71 Qq 89–90 72 C&AG’s Report, para 5 73 Qq 19, 88–90; C&AG’s Report, paras 15, 2.4 74 Qq 91–92 Update on the rollout of smart meters 17