Everybody deserves a warm home. But with the news that energy prices are set to rise again by an average of £9 a month for three months it's a worrying time once again. It seems Britain is stuck on the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets - whenever international gas prices rise, households across the UK bear the brunt. In the winter, when I was out canvassing, constituents would come to the doorstep wearing coats because they couldn't afford to put the heating on. This cannot happen again.

That's why I welcome the recent announcement that millions more families will be eligible for support with their energy bills. The Warm Homes Discount will be rolled out to an additional 2.7-million families from next winter doubling the number of people able to access vital support to over 6-million families. These families will receive £150 extra to help pay their bills.

Longer term, the government's Warm Homes Plan will also help residents save money on energy bills with warmer, cleaner heat delivered to homes. As many as 300,000 homes could benefit from upgrades this year and renters could save £240 on their bills annually because landlords will have to invest in their properties to make sure that they're more energy efficient. The proposals are expected to lift up to half a million households out of fuel poverty, which affects 15.4 per cent of all households in Cornwall, according to data from Cornwall Council.

While it's absolutely right that we deliver for people’s pockets, we must be steadfast in our determination to future-proof both our energy industry and our homes. It's clear that the only long-term solution for this is our Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

Last month, the Confederation of British Industry pointed out that the green economy is growing three times quicker than the wider economy in this country. People want us to speed up, not slow down.

The Warm Homes Plan will boost energy efficiency and provide lower energy bills across the spectrum but here in Cornwall we're able to localise that energy as well.

Truro-based Kensa Group is Britain’s leader in ground source heat pump technology. Last year they completed a new build site in Quintrell Downs, near Newquay, where they installed ground source heat pumps in 140 new-build flats and houses, which included rented properties and elderly sheltered accommodation. Likewise, Cornish Lithium is focused on the responsible exploration for and extraction of lithium from geothermal waters and hard rock at various sites throughout the Duchy. We also have the first geothermal power plant in the UK at United Downs with a borehole 5km deep from Geothermal Engineering Ltd. Success at these sites could secure a domestic supply of lithium for electric vehicles as well geothermal heat for local housing and power generation.

Heat pumps and geothermal heat don't get that much press coverage compared to wind and solar power. But I and my fellow Cornwall MPs regularly champion them in Westminster, as we did last week during an adjournment debate on geothermal energy. Labour want warmer, healthier homes for everyone. Cornwall's innovation can deliver on that. The solution is literally right on our doorstep.