§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many buildings her Department has made cheaper to keep warm through the installation of energy efficiency measures since December 1998. [69301]
§ Mr. MeacherSince the creation of DEFRA in June 2001, over 280,000 households in England have been assisted through the Government's Warm Front Scheme, which provides a mix of insulation and heating measures to eligible households.
The Department also funds the Energy Saving Trust to encourage the sustainable use of energy in the domestic and small business sectors through advertising programmes, provision of advice and endorsement of energy efficient products. The Energy Efficiency Advice Centres, which are funded by the Trust, report some 345,500 households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have installed at least one energy efficiency measures as a result of advice from those Centres since June 2001. It should be noted that some of those homes will have been assisted through Warm Front and similar schemes in Northern Ireland and Wales.
The Trust also funded the HECAction scheme to assist local authorities to fulfil their responsibilities under the Home Energy Conservation Act. Under this scheme an estimated 18,500 energy efficiency measures have been installed across England, with some households having received more than one measure.