What is the Energy Bill?

What is the Energy Bill?

First introduced back in July 2022, the “Energy Security Bill” covers a wide-range of topics like low-carbon, heat schemes, hydrogen grid trials, energy smart appliances and environmental protection. It’s the first piece of legislation to be passed by the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero with Grant Shapps stating the bill aims to “create the economy with the cheapest wholesale electricity price by 2035”. 

This bill comes at a crucial time and will be one of the key opportunities that this Government has in the near future to help alleviate the cost-of-living crisis that is affecting millions of us. It offers the chance to bring down energy bills permanently, by improving the energy efficiency of UK homes and rapidly building out clean renewable energy to reduce our dependence on expensive fossil fuels.

But, as it stands, the bill is currently lacking in several areas…

As it stands, the bill does not: 

• Protect vulnerable households from being forced onto prepayment meters or being disconnected from heating and electricity
• Improve energy efficiency standards for renters living in cold, damp homes 
• Give Ofgem a net zero remit to ensure that the grid infrastructure needed to connect new renewable energy to our homes is built at sufficient scale and speed
• Ensure that the costs of developing hydrogen for the wider economy are not lumped onto household energy bills 

With these key points missing from the Energy Bill, Britain’s broken energy system will continue to impact millions of households and businesses, and the country will remain reliant on dangerous and expensive fossil fuels.

‍

What can we do?

Luckily, there’s still time to make the bill better as it goes through Parliament, with opportunities for debate, and making the following amendments as priority:

• Get renewables onto the grid by changing Ofgem’s remit to include net zero;
• Stop more energy price rises by removing the hydrogen levy from consumer bills;
• Stop energy firms from forcibly transferring people onto expensive pre-payment meters (PPMs) by banning the forced movement to PPMs;
• Put an end to cold, damp homes for the most vulnerable by raising minimum energy efficiency standards of private rented sector homes. 

This will rely on MPs engaging with the bill at each stage and supporting these amendments. 

‍

You can help by asking your MP to attend the debate and back these amendments:

‍Email your MP about the Energy Bill