<p>The coalition Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and supporting low income and vulnerable consumers to heat their homes at an affordable cost. Fuel poverty is a devolved issue for the Scottish Government, but the following polices span Great Britain.</p><p>In winter 2011-12, the Warm Home Discount Scheme provided energy supplier funded discounts to around 700,000 of the poorest pensioners across Great Britain with a Core Group discount of £120 off electricity bills. Nearly 600,000 of these customers received the discount without having to claim, as a result of data matching between Government and energy suppliers. This is a significant benefit for a group which may struggle to claim. Other low income vulnerable households may also be assisted through the scheme. Overall we expect 2 million low income vulnerable households a year to be assisted through the Warm Home Discount scheme.</p><p>We recently published the consultation response regarding the new Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which will be our flagship policy for improving the energy efficiency of the nation's housing stock. ECO will run alongside the Green Deal and will have twin objectives to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. ECO requires energy suppliers to help households access more expensive insulation measures such as solid wall and hard to treat cavity wall insulation through the Green Deal and to provide measures to low income and vulnerable households to help reduce the costs of staying warm and healthy. Through ECO around £540 million will be spent annually by suppliers to assist low income households and low income areas.</p><p>The Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) is targeted at the 15% lowest income areas in Scotland and Wales (10% in England). It is designed to deliver comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits and a street by street basis with expected permanent fuel bill savings of up to £300 a year per household. 36 CESP schemes in Glasgow had been submitted to Ofgem for approval by June 2012.</p><p>Under the Super Priority Group of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target some 600,000 low income households across Great Britain are expected to receive heating and insulation measures, either for free or at a subsidised price.</p><p>In addition, Government provides pensioner households with winter fuel payments to help with additional heating costs during the winter. Cold weather payments are also made to low income and vulnerable households where there is an average temperature of 0° C or below for seven consecutive days. These payments have been permanently increased to £25 per week and in winter 2011-12 over 5 million cold weather payments were paid in Great Britain worth an estimated £129 million.</p>