A new report from the government committee uses SERL data and research expertise. 

Entitled ‘Exploring options for improving energy bill equity for fuel poor households’ the report and its technical annex were published on 8th July 2025.

Project purpose

The purpose of the study was to investigate energy affordability for households in fuel poverty and identify inequities in energy bill structures. The project aimed to assess how innovative tariffs affect can affect vulnerable consumers and explore policy options to improve fairness in billing. SERL team members Dr Eoghan McKenna and Dr Lin Zheng  contributed to the study, providing analysis of the SERL data and input to the wider research.

Phases 

Split into two phases, the first phase conducted a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) to synthesize the existing evidence base, which was supplemented with Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) observatory data.
The researchers then compared energy consumption patterns of fuel poor households vs. general population with a view to highlighting disparities in usage, access to energy-saving technologies, and ability to benefit from time-based tariffs.
The second phase involved holding works shops with stakeholders including academics; energy suppliers and retailers; and regulators and trade associations. Workshop participants reviewed REA findings and evaluated policy interventions for improving bill equity.

Findings

Key Findings included that:
  • standing charges and fixed costs are regressive — disproportionately affecting low-income households.
  • Innovative tariffs (like Time-of-Use) offer savings but are inaccessible to many fuel poor households due to lack of smart appliances or flexibility.
  • Fuel poor households often self-ration energy or face barriers to load-shifting, limiting their ability to benefit from dynamic pricing.

Partners

Project partners included London Economics, Basic Social and UCL on behalf of the CFP.  CFP is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

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