BLACKOUTS AND PRICE HIKES – ED’S ENERGY POLICY UNRAVELS IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS In tough times, it’s important to help hardworking people with their energy bills. That’s why the Conservatives are forcing energy companies to put customers on their cheapest tariffs. In contrast, Ed Miliband’s unworkable energy policy is already unravelling. Ed Miliband has confessed that energy companies could appeal to the Government to overturn his proposed ‘price freeze’. And he can’t explain what would happen if prices were put up by the energy companies before such a freeze. Experts are also warning Ed Miliband’s plan could result in blackouts as happened in California when a similar policy was introduced. That’s because the freeze would starve energy companies of money to invest in infrastructure. To make things worse, Ed Miliband is also committed to introducing an energy policy that would add £125 to the typical household’s bill. Ed Miliband has committed to decarbonising the power sector by 2030. Research commissioned by the Committee on Climate Change estimates that an extra £7.5 billion a year would be needed to achieve this. This support would come on a per-unit of electricity basis from all users, which will add around £125 to household bills. (Labour Party Press Release, 22 November 2012, link; POYRY, Technology Supply Curves For Low-Carbon Power Generation, June 2013, p. 99, link; DECC, Impact of Policy on Household Bills, link). Let’s not forget that Ed Miliband was Energy Secretary in a Labour government that let hardworking people down on energy bills time and time again. Electricity bills went up by more than 50 per cent under Labour. Between 1997 and 2010, the average domestic electricity bill (standard credit) went up by 53 per cent, from £285 to £435 (DECC, Quarterly energy prices table 2.2.1: Average annual domestic electricity bills by home and non-home supplier, 29 March 2012). Gas bills more than doubled under Labour. Between 1997 and 2010, the average domestic gas bill (standard credit) went up by 108 per cent, from £328 to £681 (DECC, Quarterly energy prices table 2.3.1: Average annual domestic gas bills by home and non-home supplier, 29 March 2012). As Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband planned to increase energy bills by £193. He published a White Paper outlining plans for extra levies on energy bills – which we’ve scrapped. These would have funded the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) plants. The RHI levy would have added £179 a year to the average domestic gas bill and CCS levy would have added £14 a year to the average domestic electricity bill (HM Government, Analytical Annex: The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, pp 66-67, link). Proposing unworkable policies can’t obscure the truth: as Energy Secretary in the last Labour government, Ed Miliband presided over spiralling energy bills, and as Labour Leader he wants to raise them again. #ShareTheFacts with everyone you know. Post navigation← Labour and housing: a history of broken promises
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:18:40 +0000
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