As concerns about the energy crisis deepen, we hope to see inventive proposals put forward that will serve both people and the planet. The former Ofgem director, Christine Farnish, makes several interesting suggestions for market reform, including the concept of a “universal provision of energy” for essential use (I was an Ofgem director. This is how I would tackle the energy crisis long term, 7 September). To ensure a fair approach that protects the most vulnerable, the devil will be in the detail for all such proposals.
Daily energy consumption varies hugely from home to home: it depends on factors including who lives there, what low-carbon technologies are present and how well insulated the property is. Extreme weather events will become more frequent as a result of climate change – which means that we must also look ahead and consider conditions outside business as usual. In an unusually cold or long winter, a well-insulated property might expect a proportionately smaller increase in energy consumption than a poorly insulated property.
Thus, determining Farnish’s “modest” amount of universal energy provision will be a nontrivial exercise that must account for such complexities while being informed by real-world data, not just theoretical models. Separate concessions would need to be developed to reflect the impact of these extreme events on energy consumption across a range of households.
As we use more renewables, our energy consumption can become intelligent – shifting to times of the day when electricity is cheaper and plentiful. By addressing complexity and using innovative thinking, we can build a resilient, green and people-centred future energy system.
Lucy Yu
Centre for Net Zero
• If Stu Smith can avoid black mould growing in a house that is heated to only 10C (Letters, 7 September), I assume that he has never lived, as I do, in a small stone box in rainy north Lancashire. I’d be interested to know how the washing would dry during the winter, assuming that a tumble drier isn’t used.
I haven’t steamed a homemade Christmas pudding for years, since we discovered how much mould the steam creates on cold bedroom walls. Heating the human rather than the air temperature would be like living with a family of Christmas puddings.
Lynn Fotheringham
Over Kellet, Lancashire
• I was dismayed by Stu Smith’s letter. I’m shocked how government propaganda has twisted logic to the point where the poorest in society are to blame for having the thermostat at 20C and are expected to suffer from cold and hunger so that company profits are protected. What’s the next tip going to be? Scrape the frost off the inside of windows each morning so that any winter sunlight we get helps heat our homes?
William Bartram
Hampton, London
• I live in a detached bungalow. I have plenty of loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing, thermal underwear and fleece jumpers, and I live in a relatively warm part of the country. Yet I will still need to use my gas central heating boiler or gas fire to heat my home in the winter, and my energy bills are still set to go through the roof.
Plus, as a single pensioner, I am at home all day, not going off to a warm office. Insulating homes is a good thing, but it is not, of itself, the magic bullet that will make the UK’s energy crisis disappear.
Stan Salmon
Camborne, Cornwall
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