A campaign by fuel poverty and climate campaign groups to “Make Green Fair” is gaining traction. The campaign is aiming for fairer pricing by making sure the cheaper production cost of renewable energy gets passed on to consumers.
Petitions by Fuel Poverty Action and 350.org in support of the campaign have now reached a combined total of over 10,000 signatures.
Ofgem’s new price cap will see bill rises of 13% from 1 July. To mark the day, Fuel Poverty Action and a coalition of allies will be protesting outside the Department of Energy.
Fuel Poverty Action campaigner Stu Bretherton said:
Today’s price hikes show that yet again the government has failed to protect us from energy sector profiteering.
That’s why we’re calling for the government to expand cheap-to-produce renewables, and put in place guarantees so that we’ll all feel the benefits in the form of bill savings.
On 1 July, we need as many campaigners and organisations to join our demonstration as we take our #MakeGreenFair demands directly to the Department of Energy.
Intelligent use of renewables can deliver fairer pricing
In this heatwave, people could be getting free cooling powered by solar, campaigners say.
Energy expert Jonathan Bean argues that the wind and sun can now deliver cheap electricity, but that most people are missing out:
Government and Ofgem must act urgently to make solar, batteries, and cheap tariffs available to everyone.
The Make Green Fair campaign launched with an open letter backed by more than 60 organisations, including Greenpeace and the Climate Justice Coalition.
Since receiving the open letter, the government has announced measures that address some of the issues highlighted in campaigners’ demands.
These include:
- An increase in the windfall tax.
- Steps towards breaking the link between electricity and gas.
- A pilot of free solar panels for people living in flats.
Bretherton calls this “a step in the right direction” but says the government could do more to deliver fairer pricing:
These concessions wouldn’t have been won without campaigners calling out government inaction, and they’re a step in the right direction.
But these measures don’t go far enough. We’re still facing a £221 bill hike in July. Energy companies are still getting away with blatant profiteering. And we’re still not seeing the benefits of cheap-to-produce renewable energy being passed back to us.
Government needs to ramp up renewables, and guarantee that the benefit will be reflected in lower bills for us, not hijacked by shareholders and energy firm CEOs.
Featured image via Getty Images
By The Canary
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