New 'Energy Review' to examine energy bills
The government yesterday announced an independent review to look at ways to reduce energy costs. The study is being chaired by Professor Dieter Helm from Oxford University. Its remit is to examine how the UK can keep household bills down whilst also meeting the UK's climate change targets.
The study is to report back by October, and will attempt to demystify the key elements that make up a bill, including items such as wholesale costs, distribution costs as well as operating costs, Government policies and VAT.
Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: "All homes and businesses rely on an affordable and secure energy supply and the government is upgrading our energy system to make it fit for the future.
"We want to ensure we continue to find the opportunities to keep energy costs as low as possible, while meeting our climate change targets."
Professor Helm said: "My review will be independent and sort out the facts from the myths about the cost of energy, and make recommendations about how to more effectively achieve the overall objectives."
As Elmhurst has regularly commented on for over 20 years, the cheapest form of energy is that which we do not use.
Stuart Fairlie – Technical Director commented: "Energy Efficiency is a key factor in this mix. We are frustrated that for years the 'only game in town' has been the effort to get people to switch providers. This is a sticking plaster approach to policy. We hope that the review identifies that the correct approach to reduce people's bills in the future is to take energy efficiency seriously. The Government must produce a road map to make people's homes warmer and cheaper to run. We can't have companies blaming energy efficiency as the 'sole' reason for bills to be high. This is counterproductive. We trust that this review will start to give some serious thought to a strategy that will work for all."
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-review-to-ensure-energy-is-affordable-for-households-and-businesses