The Warm Front Scheme

The Warm Front Scheme PDF Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780102954531
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The Department of Energy and Climate Change's Warm Front Scheme to tackle fuel poverty in England helped to improve the energy efficiency of over 635,000 households between June 2005 and March 2008. There were, however, 1.9 million vulnerable households in 2006, so this rate of progress will still leave many in fuel poverty in 2010. The installation of central heating systems and insulation in homes has helped vulnerable. 86 per cent of assisted households are either highly satisfied or satisfied with the work done. The delivery of the Scheme has been largely effective but it has been impaired by problems in Scheme design. The Government's use of proxy measures, such as benefit entitlement, to determine who is eligible for Scheme grants is a pragmatic approach, but it has resulted in inefficient targeting of resources. Fifty-seven per cent of vulnerable households in fuel poverty do not claim the relevant benefits to qualify for the Scheme. And nearly 75 per cent of households who would qualify are not necessarily in fuel poverty. In addition, between June 2005 and March 2008 the Scheme has given £34 million in grants to households whose properties were already comparatively energy efficient. Gas and oil boiler replacement costs are at the higher end of the range, partly because of Scheme specifications. The grant available has not increased since 2005 and more applicants (around 25 per cent in 2007-08) are having to contribute towards the cost of the work carried out. Some eligible applicants are therefore withdrawing from the Scheme, or not progressing their applications (around 20,400 households in total as of October 2008).

The Warm Front Scheme

The Warm Front Scheme PDF Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780102954531
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The Department of Energy and Climate Change's Warm Front Scheme to tackle fuel poverty in England helped to improve the energy efficiency of over 635,000 households between June 2005 and March 2008. There were, however, 1.9 million vulnerable households in 2006, so this rate of progress will still leave many in fuel poverty in 2010. The installation of central heating systems and insulation in homes has helped vulnerable. 86 per cent of assisted households are either highly satisfied or satisfied with the work done. The delivery of the Scheme has been largely effective but it has been impaired by problems in Scheme design. The Government's use of proxy measures, such as benefit entitlement, to determine who is eligible for Scheme grants is a pragmatic approach, but it has resulted in inefficient targeting of resources. Fifty-seven per cent of vulnerable households in fuel poverty do not claim the relevant benefits to qualify for the Scheme. And nearly 75 per cent of households who would qualify are not necessarily in fuel poverty. In addition, between June 2005 and March 2008 the Scheme has given £34 million in grants to households whose properties were already comparatively energy efficient. Gas and oil boiler replacement costs are at the higher end of the range, partly because of Scheme specifications. The grant available has not increased since 2005 and more applicants (around 25 per cent in 2007-08) are having to contribute towards the cost of the work carried out. Some eligible applicants are therefore withdrawing from the Scheme, or not progressing their applications (around 20,400 households in total as of October 2008).

Energy and Ethics

Energy and Ethics PDF Author: Benjamin K. Sovacool
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137298669
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Benjamin K. Sovacool applies concepts from justice and ethics theory to contemporary energy problems, and illustrates particular solutions to those problems with examples and case studies from around the world.

Warm Front Scheme

Warm Front Scheme PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Energy efficiency and fuel poverty

Energy efficiency and fuel poverty PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215530622
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
With failure to meet its statutory obligation to end fuel poverty imminent, the Government should instigate an action plan as a matter of urgency to help the millions of UK households who remain in fuel poverty as a result of fuel price rises. This report (HCP 37, session 2008-09, ISBN 9780215530622) on Energy efficiency and fuel poverty from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee states, that the Winter Fuel Payment should be made taxable and stopped for those paying higher rate tax so that more money can be directed to fund bigger and better-targeted energy efficiency programmes aimed in the first instance at the fuel poor. To ensure more rapid improvement of the entire English housing stock, the range of current energy efficiency programmes should be consolidated into one comprehensive area-based programme to upgrade all homes and to be delivered by local authorities. The Committee wants the Government to: produce a detailed "road map" setting out how to deliver a national plan to make every home in England energy efficient to a minimum SAP level of 65 and to SAP 81 wherever practicable (SAP is the Government's Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings and uses a scale of 1 to 100, with a higher rating indicating a better level of energy efficiency); create a central budget into which energy companies pay their CERT contributions so that they can be pooled with money from other programmes, to fund a single consolidated comprehensive, area-based programme led by local authorities to deliver the national plan. The Committee also concludes that: resources for tackling fuel poverty are inadequate and getting worse. Warm Front, should see its budget increased rather than cut repeatedly and should now be extended to include all hard-to-treat properties. All schemes designed to help the fuel poor or improve energy efficiency would be better targeted if those organisations in charge of their delivery had better access to data on a range of variables including energy efficiency levels in homes, household incomes and fuel costs. The Department for Energy & Climate Change should survey current data needs and access arrangements as a matter of urgency.

Fuel poverty

Fuel poverty PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Energy and Climate Change Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215553416
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
This is fifth report from the Energy and Climate Change Committee (HCP 424-I, session 2009-10, ISBN 9780215553416) and looks at the issue of fuel poverty. The Committee states that the Government is going to miss its target to end fuel poverty amongst vulnerable households in England in 2010. The target to end fuel poverty for all households in England by 2016 also looks difficult to hit. The Committee's report is a stocktake of performance in tackling fuel poverty and sets out areas of concern which the Committee want to see addressed in the new Parliament. It sets out a number of recommendations, including: a 'road map' to be drawn up, setting out how fuel poverty is to be tackled in greater detail; the Government to consider whether a database of domestic energy efficiency should be set up; a sharpening of the focus of the Warm Front scheme so that it helps those most in need; an urgent review of the market for fuels bought by people who are not connected to the mains gas grid.

Energy Prices, Fuel Poverty and Ofgem

Energy Prices, Fuel Poverty and Ofgem PDF Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Business and Enterprise Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215523259
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 600

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Book Description
A report from the 'Business and Enterprise Committee' that inquires into the effect of the 'Big 6' energy companies - which include Npower, Centrica, EDF Energy, Scottish Power, and Scottish and Southern Energy - all raising their prices between January and April 2008. It aims to feed into a separate inquiry being carried out by Ofgem.

Delivering Successful IT-enabled Business Change

Delivering Successful IT-enabled Business Change PDF Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0102943710
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description
This is a companion volume to the main NAO report (HCP 33-I, session 2006-07, ISBN 0102942323) and it contains details of 24 case studies which form the basis of the NAOs analysis of factors that contribute to successful delivery of IT-enabled programmes and projects which have achieved tangible benefits for citizens and taxpayers. Drawn from the public and private sectors in the UK and overseas, these case studies include: i) the Department for Work and Pensions Payment Modernisation Programme which cost £824 million and has transformed the payment of benefits and pensions through direct bank payments; ii) the Oyster electronic smartcard introduced by Transport for London in 2003 and a capital cost of £40 million; and iii) from the private sector, the UK trade associations chip and PIN programme at a cost of £1.1 billion.

UK dependence on gas and coal imports

UK dependence on gas and coal imports PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Trade and Industry Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215037121
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
UK dependence on gas and coal Imports : Oral and written Evidence

Warm Front

Warm Front PDF Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780102921717
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 41

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Book Description
In 2001, there were an estimated 1.8 million households affected by fuel poverty in England, a problem which damages people's quality of life and health, with more illnesses such as influenza, heart disease and strokes, as well as increased risk of death in winter. The 'Warm Front' scheme, costing on average £150 million a year, is part of the government's UK Fuel Poverty Strategy. It seeks to improve the home energy efficiency of vulnerable groups, such as households with children, those aged 60 years and over, the disabled and long-term sick, by providing grants for insulation and heating to homes in the owner occupier and private rented sectors. The report finds that the scheme has potential but its effectiveness in helping to eliminate fuel poverty is impaired by a number of issues including the eligibility criteria; the inadequacy of heating and insulation measures; and the limited targeting of grants to those in greatest need. Recommendations are made to ensure the scheme meets the Strategy's aims including the need for greater research on its impact, improved targets; and that the Government should consider concentrating eligibility criteria on low income groups in receipt of means-tested benefits.

Means testing

Means testing PDF Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780102976700
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
It is clear that means testing will be used extensively for the foreseeable future as it helps target state support at the people that need it most, but it can have many other important consequences. For example, there can be disincentives for recipients of means-tested benefits to return to work. Means testing also makes the administration of benefits more complex and is associated with higher costs as well as increased rates of fraud and error. In light of proposed and ongoing reforms to benefits and related programmes, the NAO notes the importance of departments sharing good practice and learning from past experiences in the design of means tests. For example, HM Revenue and Customs has struggled in the past with unexpectedly large overpayments of tax credits (£9 billion between 2003-04 and 2009-10) because of the way that payments are determined under the legislation. Departments need to consider all of the impacts of means testing: for example, the burden on claimants, such as difficulty with completing forms and the cost of requesting advice. Issues associated with means testing, such as incorrect declarations of earnings and errors by officials in calculating entitlements, accounted for over half of all fraud and error in benefits and tax credits. There is a lack of coordination of, and overall accountability for, means testing across government. For example, no one body has responsibility for looking at how the impact of university fees will be influenced by wider means testing.