Both Reports find that excessively high UK electricity prices are the direct result of policy decisions rather than the of-cited global gas prices – which have recently fallen.

In the first of these reports, “The True Affordability of Net Zero”, Kathryn Porter, an independent energy consultant, provides a critical analysis of the financial impact of the UK’s Net -Zero policies on consumers and the economy.

The main points from Porter’s report are:

Annual Costs:

The additional costs imposed on UK energy bills due to Net -Zero policies amounted to over £17 billion in 2023-24 (this corresponds to £598 per household) with projections indicating these will rise to over £20 billion per year (£704 per household) by 2029-30.

International Comparisons:

British industrial electricity costs are now the highest in the developed world, and domestic costs are the fourth highest globally.

By contrast, UK natural gas prices are only the 15th highest worldwide, indicating that policy choices – not gas prices- are the main driver of high electricity bills.

Porter therefore argues that a series of “Policy choices”- including levies, taxes, and subsidies to support renewables – have significantly increased costs both for domestic consumers and for industries.

Grid Investment:

Porter also questions the claims that massive grid investments (such as £60 billion for new infrastructure) can be delivered with minimal impact on consumer’s bills.

Porter’s comprehensive report contends that the UK’s Net -Zero policies have imposed substantial and rising costs on consumers and industries with cumulative spending on decarbonisation since 2006 reaching some £220 billion and, in her view, little evidence, of any corresponding financial benefit.

To read more go to:
https://watt-logic.com/2025/05/19/new-report-the-true-affordability-of-net-zero/

In the second of these reports “UK Renewable Electricity Subsidy Totals: 2002 to the Present Day” Dr. John Constable of the Renewable Energy Foundation has an even higher estimate of the annual costs – £25bn per year or £880 per household.

https://www.ref.org.uk/attachments/article/390/renewables.subsidies.01.05.25.pdf

Constable notes that there 5 direct and 5 indirect subsidies in the renewable energy sector. He distinguishes between:

• Direct Subsidies (e.g. the Renewables Obligation)
• Indirect Subsidies (e.g. the UK Emission Trading Scheme)

He finds that one third of the total cost of these subsidies has hit households through their electricity bills, while the remaining costs are first paid by industry and commerce and then passed on to households through increased prices.

Porter does not include indirect subsidies. This is why Constable’s figures for the annual costs are higher. Constable’s total of £25 billion a year is also a conservative estimate since there are several subsidy schemes that presently cannot be quantified due to lack of data.