The Committee held a pre-appointment hearing with the Government's preferred candidate for the post of chair of the Committee on Climate Change, Lord Deben (the former MP and Government minister, John Gummer). It concludes that he is a suitable candidate and recommends that he be appointed to the position

Pre-appointment hearing with the Government's preferred candidate for Chair of the Technology Strategy Board : Tenth report of session 2010-12, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence

On 10 September 2013 the Committee held a pre-appointment hearing with the Government's nominee for the post of Chair of Ofgem, David M. Gray. On the basis of the evidence provided at this hearing, it was concluded that David Gray is a suitable candidate to chair Ofgem and recommended that he be appointed to this position.

The Green Deal was launched in January 2013 to help Britain's households and businesses make energy efficiency improvements. The Government has called it "a long-term and progressive programme. In December 2012, the Committee launched Green Deal: watching brief inquiry, to follow the Green Deal from its inception and monitor its debut on the UK market. In May 2013, the Committee published the Green Deal: watching brief report in which were outlined concerns about the lack of clarity regarding the outcomes that Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) expected from the Green Deal. Green Deal: watching brief (part 2) reviews the performance of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) in the seven key areas outlined in the previous report, assess DECC's approach to evaluating and monitoring the performance of the Green Deal and ECO, and considers DECC's recent proposals to improve the Green Deal and reduce the cost of ECO. The report found that the Green Deal, rather than facilitating access to energy efficiency measures and creating momentum in the market, has caused frustration and confusion for both consumers and businesses in the supply chain. Only 4,000 Green Deal plans have so far been initiated. As a result, carbon savings through Green Deal finance have been negligible. Therefore the Government must re-evaluate its approach and set out a clear strategy to revive the failing scheme, as unless the package is made more attractive to a wider group of consumers, Green Deal finance is likely to remain unappealing to many.

The Climate Change Act 2008 committed the UK to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050. The 2010-2015 Parliament has been a defining period for energy and climate change policy. Three Energy Acts set the policy framework to help the UK achieve its goal. Each Act was designed to support new forms of energy generation, promote energy efficiency and protect consumers. These ambitious pieces of legislation have set the benchmark against which the progress towards providing a secure, clean and affordable energy supply will be judged. The Energy and Climate Change Committee plays a central role in scrutinising and improving the Government's policy and legislation. In section two of this report, the Committee provides a quantitative overview of the work it has undertaken in this Parliament. In section three, the Committee looks in more detail at three case studies - electricity market reform, competition in the energy market and shale gas - each of which highlights the key role the Committee has played in holding the Government to account and improving policy and legislation. Finally, in section four the Committee sets out our future vision for the UK energy system, based on the views and evidence provided by the wide range of stakeholders that it works with. The Committee also explores the challenges which will need to be overcome in the next Parliament if the UK is to achieve its ambitious long-term climate and energy goals.

Government provides support to households who install small-scale renewable energy systems through Feed-in Tariffs (FiT), while large scale projects like off-shore wind farms will soon be supported through new fixed-price Contracts for Difference (CfDs). Medium sized energy projects of between 10 - 50 Megawatts (MW) currently fall in the gap and do not receive support. Giving communities a stake in local energy projects has the potential to broaden public understanding of energy issues and could also enhance the security and efficiency of the energy system as a whole. This report identifies a number of barriers that can prevent local energy projects getting off the ground. Securing funding and Power Purchase Agreements, connecting to the grid and overcoming public opposition can all prove difficult. Obtaining planning permission can be costly and time-consuming, and the risk of losing tens of thousands of pounds if permission is not granted is a huge obstacle for community groups or small cooperatives. Some form of support mechanism is needed alongside a comprehensive package of measures addressing finance, planning, grid access and advice. The Green Investment Bank could provide seed funding and project development funding for feasibility studies, grid permits, etc to reduce some of the risk in getting projects through the planning process. Government needs to do more to encourage local authorities to identify suitable areas for renewable energy development and to develop clear guidance about what is expected from local energy projects. National level planning guidance should be provided on technical issues that hold up planning consent for wind turbines and other low-carbon technologies