B2.10.2.4 Energy Act 2011
On Tuesday, 18 October 2011, the Energy Bill received Royal Assent and became the Energy Act 2011. The Energy Bill was first introduced into the House of Lords in December 2010 and completed its Commons stages on 14 September 2011. The Lords were content with Commons amendments, which allowed the Bill to receive Royal Assent on 18 October 2011.
The Energy Act provides for some of the key elements of the Coalition’s Programme for Government and its first Annual Energy Statement. It is a first step in our legislative programme, and further legislation has been sought to implement, for example, the findings of the Electricity Market Reform Programme.
The Act provides for a step change in the provision of energy efficiency measures to homes and businesses, and makes improvements to our framework to enable and secure low-carbon energy supplies and fair competition in the energy markets.
The Act includes provisions on:
Green Deal
The Act creates a new financing framework to enable the provision of fixed improvements to the energy efficiency of households and non-domestic properties, funded by a charge on energy bills that avoids the need for consumers to pay upfront costs.
Private rented sector
- The Act includes provisions to ensure that from April 2016, private residential landlords will be unable to refuse a tenant’s reasonable request for consent to energy efficiency improvements where a finance package, such as the Green Deal and/or the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), is available.
- Provisions in the Act also provide for powers to ensure that from April 2018, it will be unlawful to rent out a residential or business premise that does not reach a minimum energy efficiency standard (the intention is for this to be set at EPC rating ‘E’).
The Act also includes measures to:
- Improve energy efficiency and energy security.
- Enable low-carbon technologies.
- Extend the role of the Coal Authority.
- Repeal the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) in Scotland and Wales.