Businesses and consumers had been left facing increasing financial turmoil, with energy bills estimated to increase to as high as £6,500 before the government stepped in. Recently announced support will see a typical household pay £2,500 a year for energy, while businesses will be paying less than half of predicted wholesale costs this winter, although more can be done to keep businesses open this winter.
The Energy Prices Bill, introduced in Parliament on 12 October 2022 provides the legislative footing needed to ensure that people and businesses across the UK receive support with their energy bills this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee for domestic consumers and Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses and non-domestic properties. This includes essential measures that enable the UK government to deliver comparable schemes in Northern Ireland and legislation that will require landlords and heat network operators to pass benefits through to tenants.
