the climate brief Accurate Reporting of Climate Science

Investing in low-carbon technologies and decarbonising the power sector by 2030 could save the country £25 to £45 billion, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in a new report. But to get there the government must avoid a 'dash for gas' approach and think long term, it warns.  

The government is planning big changes to the power sector. It aims to shift to a low carbon system and maintain energy security - while keeping costs down - through a policy package known as  Electricity Market Reform (EMR). But in a  report out today, the CCC says that the government's lack of clarity about where energy policy is going, and particularly the suggestion that it might also be  expanding the amount of power the country gets from gas, is threatening the entire process.  

If the country is really going to shift to a low-carbon energy system, the committee says the government must think more strategically.

Parliament's Energy and Climate Change (ECC) committee has told the government to get a move on with monitoring the success of its core energy efficiency policies in a new report, out today.

The ECC committee is concerned the government hasn't worked out what a successful energy efficiency rollout would look like, let alone how to assess whether it meets those criteria. Says the report:

"It is unacceptable that, three years into the life of this parliament, ministers are incapable of defining the actual goals of one of the coalition's flagship policies."

Despite the government's assertion that the  Green Deal is intended as a  long-term project, press attention has focused on  the number of people to sign up  - or not - over its first few months in operation.

In an interview with the  Sunday Telegraph, Ian McCaig, chief executive of small gas and electricity supplier First Utility, argues that energy bills could overtake mortgage costs "over the next five to 10 years". The Sunday Telegraph headlines the article "Energy bills 'could overtake mortgages in five years'." It's a great headline, but is it right?

The article says:

"Analysis by First Utility shows that UK dual-fuel bills have risen by an average of 8.5pc a year over the last five years to reach current levels of £1,420.

"If they keep rising at the same rate, then by 2025 they would reach £3,761 - higher than current average annual mortgage repayments in places such as Stoke-on-Trent and higher than average repayments in Liverpool by 2029."

There are two things to note here. 

First, the projection cited in the Sunday Telegraph refers to bills in 12 years' time, not five.