Making the energy transition fair and inclusive

The transition to cleaner energy provides an opportunity to improve access to energy across society so that everyone can reliably use and afford energy services that are essential for health and wellbeing.

The UK has a poor track record on ensuring “energy access” with persistent fuel poverty, rising levels of energy debt and cold homes contributing to hardship and too many people dying during the winter months.

In this report, we explore ways to make the transition to clean energy fair and inclusive, including:

• Widening our narrow focus on fuel poverty: focus on designing energy services or programmes to meet the specific needs of low income and vulnerable customers, taking their needs as the starting point rather than statistical measures of fuel poverty.
• Harnessing data: policymakers can improve access to data so that services to address poor energy access can be designed for and targeted at people most at risk.
• Funding local capacity: targeted government funding should focus on enabling innovative service delivery partnerships for example bringing together local authorities, health service providers and energy suppliers.

George Day, Senior Advisor – Net Zero Policy, said:

“While the UK has a poor track record on improving energy access, the transition our energy system is going through gives us a generational opportunity to ensure we stop leaving vulnerable people behind. This report explores the no-regret enablers that policymakers should use to improve energy access.”