If ever there were a time to double down on renewable energy, it is now. On 27 August, plug-in solar panels have gone on sale for the first time having been declared safe to use by a Government study. The Government expects the panels to cost between £400 and £600 as competition increases, and sellers will likely include Argos, Amazon, Currys, Screwfix and B&Q.
Liquified natural gas (LNG) prices spiked after Iranian attacks on Qatar’s LNG facility at Ras Laffan in March. Indeed, prices have nearly doubled since the start of the war. With gas providing the vast majority of heating in the UK – and gas-fired power stations still used to generate nearly 30 per cent of our electricity – a rise like this will put a terrible extra strain on household finances, at a time when we can least afford it.
Experts are warning that when the Government’s quarterly price cap comes in at the end of June, bills are expected to jump by £332 to an average of £1,972 a year.
But for those households which can afford them, or are eligible for grants, solar panels can significantly lessen the blow. Up to 5 million low-income homes can get grants for solar panels as part of the Government’s £15bn Warm Homes Plan, announced in January.
