Ms Issy Petrie:

I will speak about energy efficiency. When we think about energy poverty, we must think about the balance of contributing factors, including the earning of an inadequate income, the cost of energy for customers and the energy efficiency or quality of the housing. I am not sure whether Dr. Keilthy can contribute on our building energy rating data and how they correlate with energy poverty figures. Since so many householders are living in substandard accommodation and very energy-inefficient housing, they are already paying more. There may be an inefficient heating system or uninsulated housing. People in poverty and low incomes are paying higher bills with less income so they will be impacted by the energy inefficiency of their housing. This is why we welcome the schemes in place for doing such important work in tackling that aspect of energy poverty, although, as has been mentioned, there are waiting lists and challenges with the capacity of the sector to meet the need that exists.

We would also like to highlight the challenges faced by people in the private rental sector who are living in energy-inefficient homes. They suffer on foot of a split incentive and do not have the same agency to improve the quality of their housing. Those in energy poverty in particular are paying more for their heating bills without having the ability to invest in their homes. They have to rely on their landlord to make the decision. We believe there is a gap in policy here that needs to be addressed so people in energy poverty in the private rental sector will not be left behind, resulting in a growing gap between those in energy-efficient homes and those in homes whose fabric or heating system has not been invested in.