Affordable energy for all means recognising that to achieve wider, longer-term, economic benefits energy demand reduction policies must be carefully designed and aligned
To achieve wider, longer-term, economic benefits energy demand reduction policies must be carefully designed and aligned
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Our message
Efforts to achieve net zero, eradicate Home Energy Injustices (HEIs) and reduce energy demand need to be aligned. Sustainable and affordable energy for all is an overarching goal that should drive efforts to meet net zero ambitions and eradicate HEIs.
In considering different support mechanisms for fuel poverty mitigation, policy makers need to consider the balance between helping more people as soon as possible, where benefits may be time limited, and delivering more sustained benefits, potentially to fewer households and at a slower pace.
In the context of the UK’s labour supply constraints, carbon reduction projects like retrofitting may drive up the wider cost of living through, for example, a higher tax burden. This has implications for how initiatives are funded (Turner et al. 2024).
Additional research findings provide a warning that policies and grants must attend to both capital investment in heating systems and the issue of possible increased energy bills to avoid the risk of increasing energy injustices (Liu et al. 2024).
Taking account of interconnecting energy policy areas, including home energy use, energy supply and transport is vital when developing policy interventions to address inequities.
