Template press release on renewable energy

[Councillor/Council Group] and Lib Dems back plan to halve energy bills in a decade

Liberal Democrat Councillor [NAME] has backed their party’s new plan to halve the cost of energy bills for a typical household, criticising Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch for peddling “ludicrous” myths about renewable energy.

The plan, launched by Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey, includes breaking the link between gas prices and electricity prices, so that people can enjoy clean, cheap power. Right now, the cost of electricity is set by the price of gas 97 per cent of the time – even though half of our electricity comes from renewables, which are much cheaper than gas.

The proposals from the Liberal Democrats would slash a typical household’s energy bills by £870 by 2035, down from £1,720 currently.

[NAME] and the party are also calling for investment into cheap renewable power and home insulation to be accelerated, so households and businesses see the benefits of cheap renewables in lower energy bills.

A key part of the proposal is moving older, expensive renewable projects to cheaper Contracts for Difference – which were pioneered by Ed Davey when he was Energy Secretary. It is estimated by experts that this move alone could cut bills by about £200 a year for a typical household.

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[NAME] and their fellow Lib Dems have also condemned Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage for their “ludicrous” myths about renewable energy and wanting to tie the UK to fossil fuels, a move which Ed Davey said will “only benefit Vladimir Putin”.

Liberal Democrat Councillor [NAME], said:

“Families across [COUNCIL AREA] are being clobbered with bills that are still more than £50 a month higher than they were five years ago. After years of negligent energy policies by the previous Conservative government, the Liberal Democrats have a plan that could halve the cost of energy bills for a regular household.

“The ludicrous myths peddled by Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch cannot be allowed to gain traction. They want to tie the UK to expensive fossil fuels and claim that bills would magically come down for everyone. Recent record high gas prices prove that isn’t true. We know that tying ourselves ever more to fossil fuels only benefits foreign dictators like Vladimir Putin. “By breaking the link between gas prices and energy costs, people can enjoy the true benefits of cheap, clean, renewable power. The Liberal Democrats in [AREA] are standing up for our community and have a plan to cut bills — now the Government needs to act.”

ENDS

Notes to editors 

We estimate that our package would cut the annual energy bill for a typical household from £1,720 today to £850 in 2035. That includes:

• Moving older renewable projects off expensive Renewable Obligation Certificates and onto cheaper Contracts for Difference – which were introduced by the Liberal Democrats in government. The UK Energy Research Centre has estimated that this move alone could cut bills by around £200 a year for a typical household.
• Investing in cheap, clean renewable power, saving at least £250 a year.
• Making homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, reducing energy bills by £180 a year on average
• A further £240 reduction by taking other steps to bring down the cost of energy, including:
  • using new technologies to help people use energy more flexibly, at times when it’s cheaper – and pay less as a result.
  • working together with the EU to trade energy more efficiently, cutting costs and reducing reliance on gas.
  • extending the life of new Contracts for Difference to 25 years.