Decarbonising Welsh Housing Stock

This House notes with concern that energy use in homes accounts for 14 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions; recognises that 63 per cent of energy used in homes is used for space heating; is deeply concerned that 12 per cent of Welsh households live in fuel poverty, with 6per cent of Welsh households already in arrears with their fuel bills before the ongoing energy crisis; recognises that decarbonising the Welsh and UK housing stock must be a key policy priority of both the Welsh Government and Government in their collective efforts to achieve net-zero; congratulates the work of the Future Generations Commissioner and her team for producing the Homes fit for the Future - The Retrofit Challenge as a welcome assessment of the financial challenges of decarbonising Wales’ housing stock; notes the importance of ensuring that sufficient support is available for those properties which may not be suitable for heat pumps, such as some older and hard-to-decarbonise homes in off-grid rural areas; is concerned that the Budget failed to introduce measures to aid with home insulation; and urges the Chancellor of the Exchequer to increase the borrowing capabilities of the Welsh Government to further Wales’ green transition and net-zero efforts.