Category: Reaction

More renewables approved with 10,000 jobs supported

Ministers have announced the largest ever procurement of solar projects in the UK alongside new onshore wind farm developments and three new tidal energy projects.

Taken together with previous announcements on offshore wind results, the Government has estimated that the announcements since 2024 will deliver enough power for the equivalent of 16 million homes.

The “strike price” for the new onshore wind has been agreed at £72.24 per mega watt hour generated (/MWh) and new solar at £65.23/MWh. The new plans will support around 10,000 jobs.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“Households are still paying the price for years of exposure to volatile gas markets. Cheaper, homegrown renewables don’t just help the planet, they can help cut bills by pushing expensive electricity from gas-fired power stations off the system.

“A comparison with fossil fuel generated electricity puts into perspective the deal households get from renewables. Any new gas-fired power stations generate energy at close to £150 per megawatt hour, whereas the last offshore wind auction came in at around £90/MWh and today’s auction strike prices are even lower.

“But affordability must be guaranteed, not assumed. As more private investment flows into clean power, consumers need transparency on how these contracts affect bills, clear limits on profits and further electricity pricing reform so the benefits are passed on to households.”

The announcement comes after Ministers also confirmed £1bn in funding for new community energy projects which the End Fuel Poverty Coalition described as having “real potential to help bring down bills while keeping the benefits of clean power rooted in local places.”

Investment aims to boost community energy schemes

The Government has announced a £1 billion “local power plan” to expand community-owned clean energy projects across the UK, from solar panels on public buildings to small-scale hydro schemes.

Ministers have called the plan “the biggest ever investment in community energy.”

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“This boost for community energy has real potential to help bring down bills while keeping the benefits of clean power rooted in local places.

“For too long, households have been trapped paying the price of a broken energy system where profits flow out to major companies, while communities living in cold, damp homes see little return. Community-owned renewables can start to change that, cutting costs, strengthening energy security and generating income for vital local services.

“But clean energy should not just be about new generation, it must also be about guaranteeing warmer homes, lower energy bills and building a better energy system.”

Shell and Equinor deepen UK fossil ties as more profits posted

Energy giant Shell has posted adjusted profits for the fourth quarter of £2.39 billion and has announced another £2.7 billion of share buybacks on top of a dividend hike.

It comes the day after Equinor also large profits. The two firms have recently announced they will merge their offshore drilling operations in the UK, with each company owning 50% of the joint venture and Equinor contributing its £1.3 billion UK ‘tax shelter’ – or credits that can be used against paying future UK taxes.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said:

“With Shell reporting another substantial profits haul, it’s worth remembering that these corporate windfalls do not occur by accident.

“For example, the company’s new joint venture with Equinor to merge the two firms’ UK fossil fuel assets highlights just how intertwined big energy profits, tax arrangements and supply of gas from a depleting North Sea reserve have become.

“But as debate continues over the future of the Energy Profits Levy, the contrast between firms locking in billions of profit and households struggling with high energy bills is stark. Ministers must ensure the system is on the side of the consumers, not the energy giants that have generated more than £125 billion in UK profits since 2020, even as millions live in cold, damp homes.”

Equinor posts $6.2bn quarter as households continue to face winter hardship

Equinor, the Norwegian fossil fuels group, has posted adjusted earnings before tax in the last three months of 2025 of $6.2 billion.

While the North Sea is running out of gas, the firm is set to benefit from the UK market into the future with around 10% of national demand in the hands of two companies – Equinor and Centrica – under a deal struck in 2025.

Combined, energy giants have generated over £125 billion in profits on their UK operations since the energy crisis started according to an analysis of company reports.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:

“Equinor’s latest results show that even major producers continue to deliver multi-billion-dollar profits, with plenty of money still flowing out of consumers’ bills and back to the energy giants and their shareholders.

“Yet while companies like Equinor capitalise on the ongoing energy bills crisis, millions of UK households are in a fifth winter of hardship.

“The contrast between corporate gains and household pain underscores the urgent need for a fairer energy system that uses excess industry returns to cut bills and improve home energy efficiency, not line shareholder pockets.”

Warm Home Discount extended across GB through to winter 2030/31

The £150 Warm Home Discount will be provided to eligible households every winter until 2030/1.

It follows the expansion of the Warm Home Discount last year, adding 2.7 million families to the scheme and bringing the total number of eligible households to around six million.

In England and Wales, households who are receiving a qualifying means-tested benefit should get the discount automatically.

In Scotland, the UK Government has implied that significant changes are expected. While an estimated 345,000 Scottish households will receive it automatically, some who previously received the benefit may now miss out.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“As gas prices continue to demonstrate their volatility, reaching an 11-month high in recent days, keeping the Warm Home Discount in place avoids a damaging cliff-edge for households struggling through a fifth winter of the energy bills crisis.

“But simply rolling it forward at the same level, with the same rules, risks locking in a scheme that we already know doesn’t reach everyone who needs help.

“If Ministers intend the Warm Home Discount to be the backbone of energy bill support to 2030, they cannot freeze it in its current form.

“Right now, too many people are left out altogether or not given enough support to make a meaningful difference. This includes households with electric-only heating, people living off the gas grid, residents of park homes and private networks, and families facing much higher costs because of disability, illness or poor housing.

“Without uplifts for high-cost households and a clear application route for those not captured by the main scheme, it will continue to miss large numbers of people in genuine fuel poverty.

“Industry Initiatives must also be properly funded and strengthened to catch those the support excludes, including people on non-standard supplies and those with additional health needs. And in Scotland, any move to automatic data-matching must be matched by expanded Industry Initiatives, clear supplier duties, and close monitoring to ensure households who previously qualified do not quietly lose support.”

The Coalition’s full response to the Government’s consultation on this issue is available as a pdf.

More affordable homes and overhaul of social housing standards announced

New plans have been announced an additional 300,000 more social and affordable homes alongside an overhaul of standards in the sector.

The Government will invest £39bn in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and it has confirmed moves to raise standards across existing social housing stock through a new Decent Homes Standard.

These reforms promise tougher action on damp and mould, stronger enforcement of repairs, and warmer, more energy-efficient homes. From 2030, social landlords will also be required to meet higher energy efficiency standards, reducing energy bills for tenants.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“These measures are a welcome step towards better homes and lower bills, especially if the new standards finally get a grip on damp, mould and poor insulation in social housing.

“People have suffered for far too long in substandard housing and with high energy bills. Those households suffering in fuel poverty need new social housing or home upgrades to reach them as a priority and as soon as possible.

“When it comes to upgrades funded through the landmark Warm Homes Plan, this work must link up with a Warm Homes Guarantee, so every household gets trusted advice during the process, strong consumer protections and a clear promise that energy bills will fall after work is done.”

Heat network customers to see increase in protections

More than 500,000 heat network customers will receive greater consumer protections across England, Scotland and Wales.

Ofgem will now have powers to act if a heat network operator puts up prices unfairly, and if an operator delivers a poor level of service, with compensation awarded to customers who suffer a service outage through the Energy Ombudsman.

Homes and businesses on heat networks will receive clearer, itemised billing – with previous cases of customers being issued with an unexplained monthly charge – and there will be greater support for vulnerable customers.

Some heat network customers saw energy prices rises of up to 450% during the energy bills crisis.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:
“Bringing heat networks under Ofgem regulation is an important and long-overdue step. These networks should be able to deliver low cost energy for some of the poorest households in the country, but for years, heat network customers have effectively been second-class energy consumers, facing huge price hikes, poor service and little meaningful protection.

“Today’s change should finally give heat network customers basic rights around fair pricing, clear billing and redress when things go wrong. But regulation alone won’t fix everything. Ofgem and Ministers must now make sure these powers are used robustly, vulnerable households are properly protected, and that heat networks genuinely deliver what they promise: affordable, reliable heat that helps tackle fuel poverty, not deepen it.”

30,000 homes hit by defective insulation as MPs call for fraud investigation

The Public Accounts Committee report into botched insulation schemes set up by the previous government confirms that the Energy Company Obligation was allowed to operate within a system that was fragmented, poorly overseen and fundamentally unfit to protect vulnerable households.

Over 30,000 households have been left with defective installations, many facing damp, mould, stress and in some cases serious health and safety risks.

Such is the extent of the problem, the report recommends ‘given the likely role of fraud in the poor quality installations, the Department should refer the issue to the Serious Fraud Office to investigate.’

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:

“The report confirms a clear failure of a system that was supposed to protect people in fuel poverty.

“Done properly, home upgrades and insulation are among the safest ways to bring down energy bills. Done badly, as we’ve seen, they can cause real harm.

“Thousands of households have been left living with defective insulation, facing damp, mould, stress and in some cases serious risks to their health and safety. The Committee is right to say there were serious failings at every level. What’s shocking is not just the scale of the damage, but how long it was allowed to happen without effective intervention. The priority now must be to find and fix every affected home as fast as possible, with a cast-iron guarantee that no household will pay a penny to put this right.

“And this must also mark a turning point. If the government’s Warm Homes Plan is to succeed, it has to be built around a Warm Homes Guarantee which gives every household independent advice, guarantees quality and rapid fixes when things go wrong, provides clear consumer protection and redress, and delivers a simple promise that bills will actually come down after the work is done.”

Fuel Poverty Action (FPA) has called for the £428 million earmarked for the scheme’s wrap up and remediation is actually used to get good contractors to fix damaged homes where other routes have failed. Jonathan Bean from FPA commented:

“We would love to believe the Warm Homes Plan’s claim that five million homes will be successfully upgraded and bills and fuel poverty slashed. However the catastrophic failures of current retrofit schemes shows this is very unlikely.

“The Government needs to get its own house in order with rapid action to fix the tens of thousands of defective ECO4 and GBIS retrofits, boost skills training, guaranteed bill savings and quality assurance.”

Vulnerable customers left waiting 19 months for winter support

Thousands of OVO customers did not receive their Warm Home Discount payments for winter 2023/24 until November 2025, more than 19 months late, leaving thousands without vital support during the coldest winter months.

Of the customers impacted, 7,726 were on the Priority Services Register and classed as vulnerable energy consumers, including 4,066 who were medically vulnerable. OVO will pay a total of £2,765,200 in compensation, including £150 to all affected customers, an additional £150 to those who are medically vulnerable, and £100 for each instance of self-disconnection between 31 March and 31 May 2024.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:
“This is a shocking failure that left thousands of vulnerable households without vital support when they needed it most.

“No one should be forced to go through winter without support because a supplier failed to meet its obligations. While compensation is right, it does not undo the harm caused by people missing out on help during the coldest months, when the risks to health and safety are highest.

“This case underlines why protections for vulnerable households must be automatic, enforceable and backed by meaningful penalties. It also shows why we need stronger consumer standards and faster redress when things go wrong. In this context, it is utterly absurd that Ofgem is currently considering plans to water down regulations in its ‘consumer outcomes’ consultation.”

Warm Homes Plan launched to upgrade homes and cut energy bills

The Government’s £15bn Warm Homes Plan promises to tackle fuel poverty, cut bills and reduce emissions through three main pillars:

  • Targeted support for low-income households,
  • A universal loan offer for solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, and
  • New protections for renters living in cold, damp, or mouldy homes.

Campaigners have welcomed the Plan with its potential to improve conditions in the coldest homes, through insulation, heat pumps and solar panels. Although its success in reducing fuel poverty will be judged on real delivery, strong consumer protections and a focus on the people most in need.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:

“The lifeblood of the Plan amounts to a rescue mission for the coldest, dampest homes in Britain – and this must be the priority.

“Combined with long-overdue improvements to conditions in the private rented sector, it could save lives, cut NHS costs and permanently slash energy bills for those in fuel poverty.

“Achieving this, while also inspiring a rooftop and heat pump revolution through loans and subsidies, will require a national effort. There will also need to be reforms which go beyond this Plan, such as bringing down the cost of electricity and providing financial support with energy costs while households wait for improvements to be installed.

“Above all, any use of public funds must come with a Warm Homes Guarantee, built around quality advice on the right installations to deliver, enhanced consumer protections and a promise that every upgraded home will see bills come down.

”If delivery matches ambition then this could be the biggest breakthrough in tackling cold damp homes in a generation, but now the hard work begins.”

Adam Scorer, Chief Executive at National Energy Action, added:

“People struggling in fuel poverty desperately need the Warm Homes Plan. Cheaper energy costs, efficient heating systems and homes that keep the warmth in, are all essential for the plan to succeed. There is a lot of work to be done, but today’s publication and commitment to lift a million households out of fuel poverty is a welcome, landmark occasion.”

Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said

“A Warm Homes Plan is desperately needed, with world events once again highlighting the UK’s vulnerability from our over-reliance on gas for heating.

“Ending this dependency, by ensuring our homes are more energy efficient – particularly for those on lowest incomes – and powered by renewable energy, is both pragmatic and the right thing to do for ensuring we have affordable energy.

“We can no longer bank on the North Sea because, after 50 years of drilling, the UK has now burned most of its gas. Regardless of any new drilling, the UK will be dependent on gas imports for nearly two thirds of its gas in just five years time and almost 100 per cent by 2050, unless we shift away from gas.

“An ambitious warm homes plan, properly implemented, will reduce our exposure to price shocks and mean we are not at the mercy of bad actors like Putin or the whims of Trump.”

Nick Davies, Head of Climate Policy at Green Alliance, said:

“Everyone has a chance to lower their energy bills with clean technologies under the government’s new Warm Homes Plan. That’s critical because rollercoaster global gas prices have fuelled a cost of living crisis which means energy bills remain far too high.

“Supporting more households to afford the upfront costs of installing solar panels or switching to ultra-efficient electric heat pumps will help to cut bills, reduce our reliance on imported gas and keep the climate safe for our children.”