Citizens Advice response to Welsh Government consultation on proposals for the next iteration of the Warm Homes Programme

Citizens Advice welcomes the commitment by the Welsh Government to continue providing support for home energy efficiency improvements to households in and at risk of fuel poverty through the Warm Homes Programme.

The scheme has the potential to reduce fuel poverty in Wales by reducing the amount of energy required to heat homes, while also helping to meet decarbonisation targets. 

However to achieve this, Welsh Government needs to learn lessons from the ways that Nest and Arbed have fallen short to date, and ensure the scale of delivery, energy reduction targets and supporting budget is bold and ambitious enough to meet the goals they support.

Citizens Advice recommends an ongoing role for both an area-based scheme as well as a demand scheme which should be driven by firm targets that align with the Welsh Government’s fuel poverty plan. 

We believe eligibility should be widened and that the depth of support provided to households is expanded on a worst-first and fabric-first basis. To achieve this we recommend that the delivery of the Warm Homes Programme should maximise alternative funding, such as ECO, where possible.