|
The
Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation seeks views
on the Energy Efficiency levy .
27 March
2006
The Northern
Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation (the Authority) issues
a consultation paper entitled "The Northern Ireland
Energy Efficiency Levy - A Review"
The Northern Ireland Energy Efficiency Levy has been operating
for almost 10 years. That it has been successful in assisting
in the alleviation of fuel poverty, providing energy and carbon
savings and delivering customer benefit is an unassailable
fact as borne out by Annex A attached.
The Authority
would now welcome views in its review of the levy. Particularly,
but not exclusively, we would like your comments on the following
points:
(i) Is there a continuing justification for a levy on customers?;
(ii) Is
there a case for a further annual increase in the levy to
say, £10 per customer?
(iii) Should there be an equivalent levy on natural gas customers?;
(iv)Are there alternative models for supporting energy efficiency
and fuel poverty eg the GB EEC model?
(v) Given
that Government through the Department of Social Development
has significantly upped its contribution to the
eradication of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland (up from £3.4m
in 2001/02 to £20.4m for 06/07 and £20.4m for 07/08),
which was not the case when Ofreg committed levy money of £1.6m
pa in 2001/02, should the emphasis of levy money not switch
away from fuel poverty now and focus on energy efficiency and
carbon savings?
(vi) Is the administration of the levy carried out in a sufficiently
transparent manner that suppliers/ project co-ordinators are
comfortable with?
(vii) Given that the levy is well established, successful
and accepted in its current format, is change required?
Timetable
The Authority
would welcome your views and you are asked to submit these
to the “Authority” via Gerry Donnelly,
Room 4, 5th Floor, Queens House, 14 Queen Street, Belfast BT1
6ER by the 30 June 2006. E mail address is gerry.donnelly@ofregni.gov.uk.
The Authority will notify you of the outcome of the review
once it has considered all submissions and well before a call
for projects for the 2007/08 year
|
