People power: making clean power work for consumers

The Government has made delivering a Clean Power system by 2030 one of its missions, as well as its central answer to the question of high energy bills. Clean Power means that by 2030, Great Britain will generate enough power from low carbon sources to meet how much electricity is used in a year. This is good for consumers in general because it will protect us against volatile global gas markets. Cheaper renewable energy should lower bills which, alongside investment in new energy infrastructure, can drive economic growth.

But delivering a clean power system that really works for consumers will be challenging. The hope is that it provides a new way for people to lower bills, for themselves and for everyone. People who can be flexible when they use electricity can be rewarded, as that will be valuable to balance the system — using less when the wind isn’t blowing or using more when the sun is shining. This requires a step change in the level of flexibility provided by people and businesses, and reform to the system to make it work.

Getting all this done by 2030 is ambitious, but essential.

We’ve had progress in some areas…but not in others

Progress is being made. The government’s action plan was published at the end of 2024. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was published in February 2025, which aims to speed up delivery of the physical infrastructure required for more clean power. Reform of the grid connections process for infrastructure has moved at a pace. The energy regulator, Ofgem, has just announced plans to fast-track investment for transmission equipment and services through an Advanced Procurement Mechanism.

So where is the consumer in this? Clean Power 2030 brings the promise of a system where people can play an active role, beyond just paying for stuff through their energy bills. But the progress made to date has not reflected this. Instead it has largely focused on replacing gas-fired power stations with renewables. A plan aimed at lowering everyone’s energy bills must be clear about the tangible benefits it will deliver.

Consumers will have a big part to play in this new system way beyond 2030. The official plan assumes that consumer-led flexibility will grow massively — from 2.5GW to between 10 and 12GW. We need a strategy for how this is going to happen and to ensure everyone can access these benefits.

Citizens Advice thinks these are the key building blocks:

• Accurate cost signals — Consumers need to be properly rewarded when they are flexible with when they use electricity. This means wholesale electricity prices need to reflect the costs of using the system more accurately. We think that moving to a zonal approach for calculating wholesale prices is the only credible option on the table for providing accurate cost signals to people and businesses (and generators). It also means moving some policy costs off electricity, as it’s currently disproportionately more expensive than gas, which has far fewer levies applied.
• Improving consumer confidence — For people to choose to engage differently, for example choosing smart time-of-use tariffs, they need to be confident that these tariffs are a better deal for them. Placing a Consumer Duty on suppliers is the first step to delivering this, as it will focus supplier minds on improved outcomes for their customers. People will need more information, such as ways of comparing more complicated products, and access to personalised advice for all the decisions that will be needed to be taken to deliver net zero.
• Value-for-money — Public support for Clean Power, by 2030 and beyond, will be put at risk if profits made by energy companies are not seen to be justified and fair. This means public support for future grid investment, essential to deliver the benefits to consumers, will be put at risk. The energy crisis saw the government step in around generator profits and we recently showed how network companies got a windfall from high inflation. Each element of the bill will need to be value-for-money, and seen to be, for Clean Power to deliver lower bills.
• Innovative energy services — The energy retail market needs to deliver much greater access to a range of services that meet consumer needs. This means stripping out rules that prevent innovation, with rules like the Consumer Duty driving higher standards. It also means making protections like the price cap more flexible to protect people using a broader range of products, and looking at how the Universal Service Obligation is delivered so more specialist services can emerge.
• Improved support for people struggling the most — A more flexible system should be more efficient overall, but some people may find it harder to benefit or could face higher costs from some policy changes. Better targeted bill support and energy efficiency can lower bills for those who are struggling most and ensure that the transition to clean power is fair.

This is all built on the successful completion of existing programmes such as an effective smart meter rollout and market-wide half-hourly settlements. Clean Power 2030 should now focus on the changes required to deliver the benefits of those programmes, starting with the areas discussed above. This is how the government can demonstrate that it’s really all about the consumer.