HOUSEHOLDS have been promised more help with energy bills in today’s Queen’s Speech.
At the opening of parliament today, the Government laid out that the cost of living crisis was a priority.
But households shouldn’t expect more free cash any time soon.
The speech, read by Prince Charles today, did not lay out any details about immediate cost of living help from the Government.
Instead, he said an Energy Security Bill would mean the energy price cap would continue beyond 2023.
The price cap was originally brought in as a temporary measure to help improve competition in the energy market.
The Government also said it would bring down the cost of heat pumps in a bid to encourage more households to switch to green energy.
From this month, families can apply for grants of up to £6,000 to help cover the costs of heat pump.
But the grants don’t cover the full cost of the heat pump, which is often as much as £10,000 – compared to a typical cost of a new boiler of £1,500.
In the Queen’s Speech, the Government said: “We will be ready to take further steps, if needed, to support households.
Responding to the announcement, Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of energy regulator Ofgem, said: “The Energy Bill provides a clear direction of travel to boost our clean home-grown energy, reduce reliance on global fosssil fuels and drive us towards a secure and carbon neutral future.”
