{"id":397470,"date":"2025-08-24T17:49:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T15:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=397470"},"modified":"2025-08-24T17:51:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T15:51:40","slug":"blairs-fateful-green-energy-decision-that-left-households-on-the-hook-for-billions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=397470","title":{"rendered":"Blair\u2019s fateful green energy decision that left households on the hook for billions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \u2018zombie\u2019 levy has hit households with decades of higher electricity bills<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \u201czombie\u201d energy levy is eating your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Line
Source:\u00a0Renewable Energy Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The renewables obligation has grown from nothing to cost every UK home more than \u00a3100 a year \u2013 and\u00a0it\u2019s set to keep growing<\/a>\u00a0even though it was abolished eight years ago. The Telegraph<\/a> has the story.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The green energy subsidy<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>was closed to new entrants in 2017 but is still poised to add \u00a338bn to UK power bills over the next five years, documents from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) have revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decision by the Labour politicians who created it 25 years ago means costs are still rising \u2013 and it will add an average \u00a3108 to every household power bill this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The renewables obligation was a scheme set up by Tony Blair\u2019s government to encourage developers to build more green energy generation capacity, such as wind and solar farms, and to push suppliers to buy more clean power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a decision to link the cost of the scheme to an outdated measure of inflation has led to spiralling costs, meaning the renewables obligation is now by far the biggest of the six main green levies added to Britain\u2019s power bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has added over \u00a375bn to the nation\u2019s energy bills between its introduction in 2002 and now \u2013 and it will continue rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201czombie\u201d levy cost \u00a36.7bn in 2023-24, according to the OBR, but this is forecast to jump to \u00a38.5bn by 2026, a 25pc increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Line
Ofgem, Neso, Elexon, Dnos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It implies annual household energy bills could increase by at least another \u00a320 over the next two to three years simply because of the subsidy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Constable, director of the Renewable Energy Foundation, a charity focused on energy data transparency, said successive governments had lost control of the system, with consumers paying the price.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though it was killed off for new entrants in 2017, the renewables obligation system is still costing consumers more each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA combination of bad initial design and foolish revisions favouring the wind and solar industries has turned the system into a zombie levy, devouring householder cash and sucking the blood from our businesses. Any future government that wishes to restore the UK to economic health will have to use primary legislation to finally kill it off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A \u2018zombie\u2019 levy has hit households with decades of higher electricity bills<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":397480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover how a 'zombie' energy levy is increasing UK household bills, adding over \u00a3100 annually despite its abolishment in 2017.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Zombie Energy Levy: The Hidden Cost on UK 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