Source · National Audit Office

Energy bills support: an update

Published: 14 Nov 2024 Recommendations: 5 Type: Value for Money NAO confirmed: 5 Department: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Energy bills support successfully protected many people and businesses during 2022 and 2023 from rising energy prices.

Dept: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial StrategyDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero Topics: Energy and environmentGrants and fundsHousehold energyMoney and tax nao.org.uk →

Recommendations

5 items

5 accepted 4 implemented 1 in progress

Rec	Recommendation	Addressee	Acceptance	Implementation
1	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. Ref Page 13, 19a · Implemented 01/2025	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
2	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. Ref Page 13, 19b · Implemented Q3 2025-26	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
3	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. Ref Page 13, 19c · Implemented 07/2025	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
4	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. Ref Page 13, 19d · Implemented Q3 2025-26	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
5	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. Ref Page 13, 19e · Implemented 03/2026	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	Accepted	In progress ✓ NAO