Electricity
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on electricity. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 15.05.2012 | Smart meters |
| Between 2014 and 2019 more than 50 million new 'smart meters' will be rolled out to 30 million homes and smaller businesses in Britain. These are intended to allow consumers to see and adjust in real time what energy they are using. The Public Accounts Committee considers the challenges associated with roll-out 'huge'. | |
| 27.04.2012 | Domestic gas and electricity prices: Social Indicators page |
| Depiction of trends in the retail prices of gas and electricity since privatisation. | |
| 03.04.2012 | Carbon capture and storage |
| On 3 April 2012 the Government launched a new £1bn competition for carbon capture and storage (CCS) development, and a 'roadmap' for CCS. An earlier competition was to result in the first commercial scale CCS demonstration project at Longannet, but this project was cancelled in 2011, and the NAO was critical of this in its March 2012 assessment. | |
| 16.03.2012 | Energy Efficiency Schemes |
| Government measures to encourage improvements in energy efficiency, particularly the efficiency of domestic and commercial buildings, are in the process of transition. | |
| 06.03.2012 | Energy prices |
| The price of domestic gas and electricity has generally increased over the past eight years after around a decade of falling prices. The cost of heating oil has increased by a larger amount. There have been some price cuts over the past few years, but these have been smaller than the price rises. Domestic prices have ratcheted up as higher operating, network and environmental costs and higher supplier margins have magnified the impact of longer time increases in wholesale costs. In the medium to long term the pressures on price are appear to be all upwards and the only way for most consumers to reduce the impact of increased unit costs, and even to reduce their bills, is through energy efficiency improvements. |
Research Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 06.09.2011 | Energy Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report |
| This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Energy Bill. It complements Library Research Paper 11/36 (Energy Bill) prepared for the Commons Second Reading. | |
| 04.05.2011 | Energy Bill [HL] |
| This briefing on the Energy Bill has been prepared for the Second Reading Debate in the House of Commons. The flagship policy in the Bill is the 'Green Deal', a scheme whereby homes would be given finance upfront to make energy efficiency improvements, which would then be paid for by energy bill savings. The Bill would also set up a new obligation on energy companies to help certain groups of consumers with saving energy, who need extra support. The Bill also introduces a range of other measures designed to improve energy efficiency; such as facilitating the roll-out of smart meters, widening access to energy performance certificates and making information on energy bills clearer. The Bill also provides measures designed to help improve energy security, to encourage low carbon generation and to grant additional powers to the Coal Authority to charge for certain services. | |
| 17.02.2010 | Energy Bill: Committee Stage Report |
| This paper summarises the House of Commons Second Reading and Committee Stage proceedings of the Energy Bill. The Bill received its Second Reading on 7 December 2009. It was not amended in Committee. The Bill will introduce an incentive to support up to four carbon capture and storage (CSS) demonstration projects in the UK. CSS is a way of reducing the impact of fossil fuel emissions by capturing carbon dioxide. It will also introduce mandatory support to lower energy bills for the most vulnerable, increase the powers of the industry regulator, Ofgem, and give the Secretary of State the power to ban cross-subsidy between gas and electricity accounts. | |
| 03.12.2009 | Energy Bill. Bill 7 2009-10. |
| The Bill would introduce: a carbon capture and storage incentive to support the construction of up to four UK demonstration projects, to be chosen in a competition; mandatory social price support to lower energy bills (social tariffs) for the most vulnerable, which would replace the current voluntary agreement which expires in 2011. It would also add ensuring security of supply and protecting consumers to the objectives of the regulator, Ofgem; increase the regulator's powers to deal with exploitation of electricity distribution constraints by generators; and increase Ofgem's power to fine companies. It would give the Secretary of State the power to ban cross-subsidy between gas and electricity accounts. | |
| 06.05.2004 | Energy Bill (HL) (Bill 93 2003/04) |
| Energy Bill (HL) (Bill 93 2003/04). House of Commons Library Research Paper 04/36. |
Select Committee Reports
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 27.04.2011 | Electricity market reform. |
| Government response. Energy and Climate Change Select Committee; Department of Energy and Climate Change report [Commons] | |
| 10.02.2010 | Future of Britain's electricity networks. |
| Energy and Climate Change Select Committee report [Commons] | |
| 29.06.2009 | The warm front scheme. |
| Public Accounts Committee report [Commons] |
Early Day Motions
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 18.10.2011 | LOSS LEADER PRODUCTS |
| That this House notes that many dominant supermarkets and traditional non-electrical retailers offer electrical products below their cost price as loss leaders to lure customers into ... | |
| 10.10.2011 | ELECTRICIANS' PAY DISPUTE |
| That this House expresses its concern at the actions of a cartel of construction companies that are seeking to tear up the existing national pay agreement for skilled electricians, ... | |
| 12.09.2011 | RENEWABLES OBLIGATION AND DRAX POWER STATION BIOMASS CO-FIRING FACILITY |
| That this House notes that having invested in the largest biomass co-firing facility in the world, Drax Power Station is the single largest generator of renewable electricity in the ... | |
| 30.06.2011 | ENERGY |
| That the Draft Modifications to the Standard Conditions of Electricity Supply Licences, a copy of which was laid before this House on 9 June 2011, be not approved. | |
| 01.11.2010 | CLOSURE OF TRENCH (UK) BY SIEMENS |
| That this House notes with deep concern the actions by Siemens plc in planning to close the highly profitable longstanding British manufacturer Trench (UK) Ltd(formerly The Bushing ... |
POST Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 23.01.2012 | Measuring Energy Security |
| This POSTnote explores ways in which energy security may be measured for monitoring purposes. | |
| 01.02.2011 | Future electricity networks, February 2011 |
| This POSTnote examines the possibilities and challenges for electricity network development. | |
| 01.10.2010 | Electric vehicles |
| This POSTnote focuses on the extent to which EVs could reduce carbon emissions and examines issues that would surround widespread uptake. | |
| 01.01.2010 | Lighting technology, January 2010 |
| This POSTnote gives an overview of energy efficient electric lighting currently available and under development. It examines policy initiatives to drive uptake, as well as relevant health, environmental, public perception and economic issues. | |
| 01.04.2008 | Electricity storage, April 2008 |
| Electricity storage, April 2008. POSTnote 08/306. | |
| 01.02.2008 | Smart metering of electricity and gas, February 2008 |
| Smart metering of electricity and gas, February 2008. POSTnote 08/301. |
