The UK government set out plans to “clean up” the energy system and keep energy bills affordable as part of the transition to net zero carbon by 2050.
Ombudsman Services | Dec 14, 2020
Building on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, the Energy White Paper sets out specific steps the government will take over the next decade to cut emissions.
The white paper contains a commitment to make the energy retail market “truly competitive”. This will include offering people a simple method of switching to a cheaper energy tariff, and testing automatically switching consumers to fairer deals to tackle so-called loyalty penalties.
Matthew Vickers, chief executive at Ombudsman Services, which runs the Energy Ombudsman scheme, welcomed the publication of the Energy White Paper.
He said: “The government has today set out an ambitious vision of how the energy market can be transformed for the benefit of consumers as the economy is decarbonised over the coming years.
Matthew Vickers, Chief Executive | Ombudsman Services
“The introduction of simple and even automated switching to cheaper tariffs could help to build consumer trust and confidence in the energy sector – a vital ingredient in efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
“It’s great to see the government recognising the need to keep consumer trust and confidence at the centre of building competitive markets. A low-carbon economy must be a high-trust economy, so it’s important that protection innovates and keeps pace across a fast-changing market.
“On this point, we welcome proposals for looking at how consumers and microbusinesses who use third parties such as energy brokers and price comparison websites can be better protected.”