Energy Act 2010

15 Schemes for reducing fuel poverty: interpretation

(1) For the purposes of this Part, fuel poverty is reduced if—

(a) the number of people living in fuel poverty is reduced, or

(b) the extent to which any person is living in fuel poverty is reduced.

(2) For the purposes of this Part—

(a) a person is living in fuel poverty if the person is a member of a household living on a lower income in a home which cannot be kept warm at reasonable cost, and

(b) the extent to which a person is living in fuel poverty is reduced if the difference between the cost of keeping the person’s home warm and what would be a reasonable cost for doing so is reduced.

(3) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision about—

(a) what is to be regarded as living in fuel poverty for the purposes of this Part;

(b) what is to be regarded as a reduction in the extent to which a person is living in fuel poverty for the purposes of this Part.

(4) Provision made under subsection (3) may, in particular—

(a) specify what is to be regarded for the purposes of subsection (2)(a) as a lower income, or a reasonable cost, or the circumstances in which a home is to be regarded for those purposes as being warm;

(b) amend this section.

(5) In this Part—

• “fuel poverty risk group” means a category of persons of whom, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, the proportion who are (or, but for a support scheme, would be) living in fuel poverty is higher than the proportion of people in Great Britain who are living in fuel poverty;

• “licensed electricity supplier” means the holder of a licence under section 6(1)(d) of the Electricity Act 1989;

• “licensed gas supplier” means the holder of a licence under section 7A(1) of the Gas Act 1986;

• “licensed supplier” means a licensed electricity supplier or licensed gas supplier;

• “pre-existing arrangements”, in relation to a scheme supplier, means arrangements made by the supplier before the commencement of section 9 with a view to reducing fuel poverty;

• “scheme customer”, in relation to a support scheme and a scheme supplier, means a customer of the supplier to whom benefits are, or are to be, provided by the supplier under the scheme;

• “scheme supplier”, in relation to a support scheme, means a licensed supplier to whom the scheme applies;

• “support scheme” has the meaning given by section 9(2).