UK energy costs

The following Library briefings, select committee reports and government webpages provide information relevant to energy costs in the UK, grouped under the following headings:

• Rising energy prices and their impact on consumers
• Recent policies targeting the increase in energy prices, including:
  • Recent policies targeting households
  • Recent policies targeting businesses
• Further support for households
• Further support for businesses
• Energy security
• Select committee reports

Rising energy prices and their impact on consumers

• Domestic energy prices (Research Briefing, September 2022)
• The energy price crunch(Research Briefing, January 2022) and Cost of gas and electricity (Debate Pack, January 2022): These briefings have information on the development of the energy price crisis before the invasion of Ukraine.
• Oil prices (Research Briefing, June 2022)
• Petrol and diesel prices (Research Briefing, June 2022)
• Fuel Poverty in the UK (Research Briefing, May 2022)
• Rising cost of living in the UK (Research Briefing, September 2022)
• Research on the increasing cost of living and inflation (Research Briefing, August 2022): This webpage groups Library publications on the rising cost of living in the UK.

Recent policies targeting the increase in energy prices

• Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) is a Government consultation on reforming the electricity market. It includes proposals to decouple of the price of electricity from the price of gas.
• Taxation of North Sea oil and gas (Research Briefing, August 2022): This includes information on the Energy Profits Levy.
• Taxation of road fuels: (Research Briefing, June 2022): This includes information on the temporary cut in the rate of fuel duty.

 Recent policies targeting household consumers

• Energy Bills and Tariff Caps (Research Briefing, September 2022)
• Energy Bills Support Scheme: Government policy and FAQs (Research Briefing, August 2022)
• Rising Household Energy Costs and Consumer Protection (House of Lords Library Research Briefing, January 2022)

 Recent policies targeting business consumers

• Energy intensive industries: The Government announced increased support for Energy Intensive Industries in April 2022, with further proposals in August. The debate pack on Energy intensive industries (November 2021) has background information.

Further support for households

• Energy domestic consumer advice for Autumn/Winter 2022: Joint briefing by BEIS, Citizens’ Advice, Energy UK and Ofgem
• Help with energy bills (Research Briefing, March 2019)
• The council tax rebate: How will it work? (Insight, August 2022)
• Heat networks and energy prices (Research Briefing, April 2022)
• Help with energy efficiency, heating and renewable energy in homes (Research Briefing, July 2022)

Further support for businesses

• Support for Small Business (Research Briefing, February 2022)
• UK Steel Industry: Statistics and policy (Research Briefing, June 2021)

Energy security

• Imports of energy from Russia (Research Briefing, August 2022)
• Energy Security (POSTnote, August 2022)
• British Energy Security Strategy (Debate Pack, July 2022)
• Where will Britain’s future energy supply come from? (Insight, May 2022)
• Energy Bill [HL]: HL Bill 39 of 2022–23 (House of Lords Library Research Briefing, July 2022): The Government has published a series of factsheets on the Energy Bill. Other official publications can be found on the Energy Bill’s parliamentary webpage.
• EU energy security: Implications for the UK (Research Briefing, May 2022)
• Alternatives to Russian oil: Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Venezuela? (Research Briefing, April 2022)
• Geopolitical implications of Nord Stream 2 (Research Briefing, March 2022)
• Ukraine crisis: (Research Briefing, August 2022): This webpage features Commons Library publications relevant to the current crisis in Ukraine.

Select committee reports and government responses

• Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, Energy pricing and the future of the energy market, Third Report of Session 2022–23, July 2022
• Environmental Audit Committee, Energy Efficiency of Existing Homes, Fourth Report of Session 2019–21, March 2021
• Environmental Audit Committee, Energy efficiency of existing homes: Government Response to the Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2019–21, First Special Report of Session 2021–22, May 2021