Responding to Ofgem’s announcement that the energy price cap will increase to £3,549 from 1 October 2022, the Director of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) Sam Hall commented:
“Spiralling wholesale gas prices caused by Russia’s weaponisation of energy supplies are responsible for today’s crippling price cap announcement. With bills expected to continue rising into next year, two-thirds of households could be pushed into fuel poverty because of the UK's dependence on expensive gas. “The Government needs to provide urgent and generous financial support for households to get through this winter, as well as dealing with the root causes of the gas crisis. For electricity, we need to double down on cheap renewables, which are now nine times cheaper than gas power. For heating, ministers need to launch an ambitious national drive to improve energy efficiency. “The next prime minister should expand the successful Energy Company Obligation to insulate vulnerable households, require energy firms to advise customers on how to run their gas boilers efficiently, and ramp up the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to help more households switch to heat pumps. These measures are deliverable, industry-led, and can start cutting people’s bills by hundreds of pounds this winter."