Consumers ‘the priority’ for energy policy, claims Rudd

The government’s energy policy has prioritised consumers, according to the parliamentary under secretary of state for climate change.

Speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, Amber Rudd said that since being promoted to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) she has been “concentrating her efforts” on delivering what consumers want.

She told a Policy Exchange fringe event: “It’s our job in the department to ensure that consumers get the best deal.

“That means ensuring price security, and making sure they have transparency over bills.”

Rudd added: “It is well known that at the end of last year we took some of the costs off of people’s bills.

“The balance of trying to make sure we get enough support to make homes more efficient and that there is not too much on the bills is constantly going to be a challenge but we responded to the challenge to people’s pockets and regular bills by taking [costs]off.”

Simon Moore, senior research fellow for the environment and energy at Policy Exchange, said the government has made “some significant achievements” such as the Levy Control Framework which “has provided good defence for the consumer against rising policy cost commitments”.

He added that consumers were also benefitting because the government did not commit to a second renewable target and that “means costs for consumer on the bill are being kept lower”.

However, Professor George Yarrow, chair of the regulatory policy institute, disagreed that the government’s policies are beneficial for consumers.

He said: “Electricity Market Reform is political meddling on the grandest scale.

“Wherever you political meddling, you see an energy system that is not working. It really is a simple as that.”