In recent years, the issue of energy pricing has come to the fore in a major way. It’s been on the agenda because of higher prices for ordinary consumers, the type of people who need to heat their homes to keep themselves warm in cold weather, and winter months.
The climate crisis is also leading to an energy crisis, such as pricing that locks people out of powering their homes to a sufficient level. It means some switch off heating, while others manage their usage using schedules, and look out for discounts here and there.
The agreements at COP29, and the plan set forward by Labour for achieving our targets as a nation, are lacking in the resolution of this crisis. It’s known formally as a “cost of living” crisis, but it’s more important to see it in terms of affordability, and its knock on effects.
The innovation of green technology has led to a surge in the generation of wind, solar, and hydro power, but it hasn’t meant cheaper prices. The promise of such development has been energy security, and much lower rates, but this has not yet been delivered at scale.
Instead, the new Labour government has continued a line of argument that promises new, smaller-scale installations in people’s homes, without delivery of the much cheaper power from our green energy infrastructure, including wind, solar, and hydroelectricity.
