Phil urges UK Government to ensure support for small-scale Hydro

Phil has urged the UK Government to ensure support for small-scale hydro in an early day motion in the House of Commons.

Small scale hydro has been supported via the Feed-in-Tariff, which has been highly successful. 177MW of small scale hydro is now available in Scotland, representing 75 percent of UK capacity. In addition, hydro has the lowest lifetime cost of all renewable technologies.

However, deep cuts have been proposed by the Conservative-led UK Government to the Feed-in-Tariff for small scale hydro. Leading organsations in the renewables sector, including Scottish Renewables and the British Hydropower Association, have raised concern about the impact of these cuts.

Concerning the proposed cuts, Phil said:

“At a time of tightening electricity capacity margins and concerns over climate change, additional clean energy generation via small scale hydro is more important than ever. And with the negative impact the cuts announced in the Budget will have on working households, it is essential that we protect the jobs in the renewable energy and construction sectors.”

Phil calls for a "New Deal" on Prepayment Meters in order to tackle Fuel Poverty

Phil has called for a “New Deal on Prepayment Meters” in an early day motion in the House of Commons.

According to Ofgem, customers using prepayment meters are missing out on savings worth £250 million/year.

In the motion, he noted the “disproportionate costs incurred mainly by poorer households who pay for their gas and electricity using a prepayment meter.”

Phil Boswell MP has proposed an alternative to the current scheme, in which each energy supplier prioritises the installation of Smart Pay As You Go Meters for their poorest customers, publishes the additional costs incurred in supplying and maintaining each prepayment meter, abolishes fees for the installation and termination of a prepayment meter, provides two-week credit tokens to households relying on food parcels and who cannot afford to top up their prepayment meter, and offers rebates to prepayment customers caught out by the standing charge on their meter over the summer months.

This alternative scheme offers relief to those households facing fuel poverty and those on lower incomes already struggling to make ends meet.

Commenting on the proposed “New Deal”, Phil said:

“Those on lower incomes often struggle to make ends meet, particularly during the colder months. According to leading charities, the current scheme of prepayment meters is a major factor in causing fuel poverty. This ‘New Deal’ will provide relief to those households using prepayment meters which often already struggle to buy and cook food.”