November 24, 2012
U.K.

Anger as top Tory says spiralling energy bills are ‘reasonable’

By EMILY ASHTON, Whitehall Correspondent | Published: 24th November 2012 | The Sun | www.thesun.co.uk

Spiralling energy bills are a “reasonable” way to fund wind farms and nuclear power stations, a top Tory said yesterday.

Bills are set to soar by £80 a year by 2020 under a new Coalition deal. The Energy Bill, to be unveiled next week, will allow firms to charge households £7.6BILLION a year towards the cost of building “greener” technology.

But Commons energy committee chair Tim Yeo – who earns thousands advising green energy firms – said: “A couple of pounds a week – maybe rising to almost £3 – is a reasonable price for Britain to achieve a degree of energy security to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.”

He was blasted by MPs and consumer groups who said families were already struggling with average bills topping £1,300 a year.

Richard Lloyd, of consumer group Which?, said: “If the Government wants to help consumers, it needs to ensure its policies aren’t going to send already high energy bills through the roof.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/24/anger-as-top-tory-says-spiralling-energy-bills-are-reasonable/