Value for Money

Energy bills support: an update

Published 14 November 2024 5 recommendations Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Energy and environmentGrants and fundsHousehold energyMoney and tax nao.org.uk
Energy bills support successfully protected many people and businesses during 2022 and 2023 from rising energy prices.

Recommendations (5)

Source: NAO Recommendations Tracker
5
Accepted
4
Implemented
1
In Progress
5
NAO Confirmed
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Rec 1 Accepted Implemented
DESNZ should consider how it might use its understanding of the uncertainty around, for example, wholesale energy prices and changes in demand to improve its assessment of the costs of future interventions.
Page 13, 19a 01/2025
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Rec 2 Accepted Implemented
Based on a consideration of the likelihood and size of energy price fluctuations in the future, DESNZ should identify what interventions might be necessary across a reasonable set of scenarios to mitigate the impact of these fluctuations.
Page 13, 19b Q3 2025-26
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Rec 3 Accepted Implemented
DESNZ should review its approach to preventing fraud and error on the schemes to identify good practice and any areas for improvement to share with other parts of government.
Page 13, 19c 07/2025
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Rec 4 Accepted Implemented
DESNZ should use the insights it has gained through implementing the non-domestic energy schemes and ensure that these are incorporated into future policy design.
Page 13, 19d Q3 2025-26
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Rec 5 Accepted Work in Progress
DESNZ should work with Ofgem to consider what impact the increasing levels of consumer debt could have on the resilience of the energy market to price spikes and what actions should be taken to reduce debt levels over time.
Page 13, 19e 03/2026 Ofgem