Energy Bill [HL]

My Lords, the Bill contains welcome changes to the energy performance certificates, but reform may need to go further to inform householders better on the energy efficiency of their homes and provide sufficient information so that householders are enabled in their decision-making when considering the Green Deal. We have also added our names to the amendment proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, about introducing a 12-week delay to energy tariff changes, which I shall leave to my noble friend to speak to. Clause 70 concerns access to the register of energy performance certificates, and the Government have suggested through subsection (1) that access to these documents or data on the register should be determined through regulations. Subsection (2) contains a list of such issues that may be included in the regulations. As we raised in our amendment earlier, it would be helpful if the Government could clarify whether the regulations and list of areas in subsection (2) are intended to be discretionary and what other areas the Government have in mind. Can the Minister confirm whether the legislative approach adds more or less certainty to the process? In Amendment 33ZA, we aim to clarify what should be included in the regulations relating to the disclosure of energy performance certificates. We consider that in this area it would be helpful to make linkages with other aspects in the Bill such as the Green Deal. The information contained on an energy performance certificate provides a helpful baseline for understanding the energy efficiency of a property and helps Green Deal improvers and bill payers to track how efficient a particular improvement has been. The regulations made under the clause should include provision to disclose such information to enable Green Deal participants, improvers and bill payers to make informed decisions about what Green Deal and energy efficiency measures may be appropriate for their property. This amendment is based on a belief that consumers and their advisers should have the best information to decide what measures may be appropriate for a property. Baseline information through these energy performance certificates is vital for the decision-making process. If the Government agree with the sentiment and are as concerned as we are that the Green Deal scheme should work, we would hope to see them come forward with an amendment of that nature at Report. Our second amendment, Amendment 33CA, is a stand-alone requirement for a landlord or property owner to pass on energy performance information to new tenants or property buyers so that those persons can appreciate the current energy efficiency performance of the property and take steps towards improving it. These improvements may or may not be funded through Green Deal finance. The drafting of the amendment is based largely on Clauses 12 and 13, which outline requirements for property owners and landlords when selling a property or letting it out. We have also sought to clarify further the meaning of ““valid”” for the purposes of disclosure. The certificate being presented must be current, by which we mean that it should relate to a period that is no more than one year from the date of issue and that, "““the person required to provide the certificate has no reasonable grounds to suspect that the energy performance information on the certificate is no longer accurate””—" for example, where a landlord may have made structural alterations to the property. Making sure that people have good information about the energy efficiency of their homes is a practical step in helping to achieve improvements in respect of such significant issues as climate change, energy prices and public health. I beg to move.