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Reposted by Zachary Leather

JamesSmithRF @jamessmithrf.bsky.social · 6d

This is good from Simon Wren-Lewis on why the country's fiscal woes are not caused by OBR forecasts, the bond market or (most improbably) the frequency of fiscal forecasts.

Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 6d

This weeks post: Misunderstandings on the left (and elsewhere) about the OBR, independence and the bond market mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/09/misu...
The government delegating some technical tasks to independent experts doesn't create a democratic deficit, but it does avoid wishful thinking.

Misunderstandings on the left (and elsewhere) about the OBR, independence and the bond market

I often see pieces from those on the left criticising the OBR. Here is Louise Haigh , for example, talking about the “rigid orthodoxy of t...

mainlymacro.blogspot.com

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Reposted by Zachary Leather

Jonny Marshall @jonnymarshall.bsky.social · Aug 27

Most of this change in energy bills being driven by an increase in standing charges, which are up for both gas and for electricity into Q4

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Resolution Foundation @resfoundation.bsky.social · Aug 26

Ready for your next step? We're hiring! 📣

If you have strong quantitative research skills and a commitment to raising living standards in the UK, you might be the right fit for our team.

Find out more about becoming an Economist or Research & Policy Analyst ⤵️ buff.ly/7MNZRR4

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Aug 11

Great to see Guardian cover our research today - it's flats and smaller houses that are most at risk of overheating, so should be no surprise that vulnerable families will be more at risk.

Important to think about cooling homes as well as warming them!

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Aug 10

Low-income and minority ethnic people in England most at risk from dangerously hot homes

Exclusive: Homes are heating up as summers get hotter but least well-off are shouldering greatest risk, study finds * Why UK housing is dangerously unprepared for impact of climate crisis * From shutters to reflective paint: how to prevent UK homes overheating Lower-income householders, minority ethnic people and those with young children are more likely to live in homes at risk from dangerous overheating, research has found. The UK has baked in multiple heatwaves this summer, with many people sweltering in dangerously hot homes that were not designed to withstand extreme temperatures. June was the hottest on record and in general this summer England was an average of 1.58C above average temperatures. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Aug 7

New research from us today on how Gov should approach some tricky trade offs in its Warm Homes Plan

Jonny Marshall @jonnymarshall.bsky.social · Aug 7

⚡⚡ New @resfoundation.bsky.social note out today looking at how the Government should prioritise its £13 billion Warm Homes Plan budget ⚡⚡ www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

No country for cold homes • Resolution Foundation

The Government’s imminent Warm Homes Plan aims to overhaul England’s housing stock so homes are cheaper and cleaner to keep warm. This note sets out how it can best work to improve living standards fo...

www.resolutionfoundation.org

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Aug 5

With CCC estimating that EVs will soon be cheaper than conventional vehicles, and demand already on track for our regulations, it's hard to see why we need the extra subsidies announced recently - esp. as they'll be regressive, with most new cars bought by richer households

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Aug 5

New data further proof that the ZEV mandate is doing its job - SMMT reckons we'll hit 23.8% BEV this year - 4 points up on 2024 and more than enough to meet the ZEV mandate's 28% target with all its flexibilities.

Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · Aug 5

NEW DATA: UK car market continues shift to electric

EV +9.1%
PHEV +33.0%

Petrol -14.7%
Diesel -7.9%
Hybrid -10.0%

Data from SMMT

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 24

We think Government can play a role to ensure the savings from consumer flex are big and shared fairly - such as by making those with lots to contribute do their bit.

Reforming the price cap (which was never meant for a flexible world) is one option

www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Flex appeal • Resolution Foundation

Britain needs to transform its electricity system for net zero, shifting from fixed prices to time-and-location varying tariffs. This could save £18bn annually by 2040, but it requires careful design ...

www.resolutionfoundation.org

Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 24

One of the key decisions here is how much of a role there is for Government in promoting flex, so happy that DESNZ are consulting on that.

www.gov.uk/government/c...

Consumer-led flexibility: consumer engagement

We're seeking views on proposals on the best approach to engage consumers on consumer-led flexibility.

www.gov.uk

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 24

But not much detail yet on what it means for consumers, and how the savings will be shared. Reform in the retail market is critical here, so good to see that DESNZ/ Ofgem are working out the options (more from them in March 2026)

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 24

Good to see the flexibility roadmap out today. Flex is key to a cheaper energy system, so great that Gov is committed to this. Especially big savings coming for those with big techs like EVs and heat pumps.

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Clean flexibility roadmap

A roadmap setting out the government’s vision for a clean, flexible, consumer-focused electricity system.

www.gov.uk

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Reposted by Zachary Leather

Jonny Marshall @jonnymarshall.bsky.social · Jul 22

Shame to see rising block tariffs suggested. A bad idea for poorer families that use lots of energy, but also not great for incentivising people to consume more electricity in electric cars or heat pumps

Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · Jul 22

Ed Miliband has been urged by more than 100 Labour MPs to explore overhauling UK energy bills.

He is understood to be considering a number of options for progressive energy pricing, inc discounts for the least intensive consumers – known as rising block tariffs

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

More than 100 Labour MPs urge Ed Miliband to explore radical energy bills overhaul

Living Standards Coalition writes to energy secretary calling on him to do more to help struggling households

www.theguardian.com

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

A significant majority of electricity is used by industry. The actual split depends on a whole host of factors that are challenging to predict, but a cheaper electricity system certainly won't just benefit households

Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

Read more in our new report www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Flex appeal • Resolution Foundation

Britain needs to transform its electricity system for net zero, shifting from fixed prices to time-and-location varying tariffs. This could save £18bn annually by 2040, but it requires careful design ...

www.resolutionfoundation.org

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

But this will inevitably affect some vulnerable households so must be balanced with consumer protection - a time of use price cap, seeing fixed prices in peak and off-peak hours, is one way to manage the risks posed by fluctuating prices.

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

One way of doing this is setting a usage limit on the price cap - exposing those with power hungry technologies (and thus high electricity use) to price signals.

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

We should start by making sure that households with the most 'flexibility' to contribute do so - that's those with big electricity intensive technologies like electric vehicles.

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

That would be a big shift for households, who largely pay the same price for electricity at all times of the day

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

Exposing more of us to price signals that shift energy use to times of the day when electricity is cheaper could save the system £14 billion a year by 2040 - or £160 per household (around four times the savings of zonal pricing).

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jul 9

It's a shame that zonal pricing won't happen (but about time we make the decision!). The good news is that when it comes to electricity price signals, zonal isn't where the biggest gains are

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jun 24

@resfoundation.bsky.social

Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jun 24

That way we can get the balance right between exposure to price signals, making our system more efficient, and consumer protection that makes sure the market works for families.

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jun 24

So we need consumer protection too – a new regulated time-of-use with caps for peak and off peak would set consistent and fair prices for all who want or need a variable tariff.

Crucially, this would also protect from short term price volatility that families can't be expected to manage

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jun 24

But that risks hitting other household types like big families and those with electric heating.

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Zachary Leather @zackleather.bsky.social · Jun 24

That’s why we recommend a usage cap, with the tenth highest electricity-use households (using over 5MWh a year) prevented from staying on the fixed price cap tariff, encouraging a move to time-of-use pricing.

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