As British households face the worst effects of the energy crisis, there has been a renewed push to transition the UK away from fossil fuels, as oil and natural gas costs reach record levels. This crisis is only set to worsen as Ofgem warned that it will raise the price cap of household bills to around £2,800, with some experts putting that figure at £3,000. However, experts have warned that this crisis could have been avoided, as a new report slams the Government for failing to enact its climate pledges, which has had an impact on household energy bills as well.
In a landmark 600-page assessment, a new Progress Report by the independent Climate Change Committee(CCC) has lambasted the Government for its “major failures” in delivering on the UK’s climate goals.
In their review last year, the CCC praised the Government for setting an ambitious target with its Net Zero Strategy.
However, they now warn that most of the policies that are in place to decarbonise the UK’s economy have not made much progress.
Reacting to the study, Prof Richard Green of the Sustainable Energy Business at Imperial College Business School, said: “The Committee’s calculations show that households’ energy bills could have been a billion pounds lower this year if the Government had not cut spending on energy efficiency after 2012.
“The energy you don’t have to use is the cheapest and the most secure source of all.”
The authors of the report slammed the “shocking gap” in policy for home insulation, particularly given the soaring energy bills.
In the press release, CCC wrote: “Government promised significant public spending in 2019 and committed to new policies last year, neither has yet occurred.
“The UK continues to have some of the leakiest homes in Europe and installations of insulation remain at rock bottom –the average annual energy bill for UK households is around £40 higher than if insulation rates from pre-2012 had continued for the last decade.
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“Much now rests on the promised energy advice service, which must be a major undertaking that reaches millions of households and supports them through implementation of options to cut their bills and emissions.”
The report was not all negative, as the authors praised the Government for the successful implementation of policies around renewable energy deployment and electric cars.
They found that in the past decade, emissions from electricity generation had fallen by nearly 70 percent.
CCC Chairman, Lord Deben, said: “The UK is a champion in setting new climate goals, now we must be world-beaters in delivering them.
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“In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the country is crying out to end its dependence on expensive fossil fuels.
“I welcome the Government’s restated commitment to Net Zero, but holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently.
“The window to deliver real progress is short. We are eagle-eyed for the promised action.”