Latest Publications

Better policies on energy and the environment are urgently needed but those policies must command public confidence and consent. We work to ensure those policies take proper account of the needs of all households.

Latest Publications:

Publication

Despite throwing money at the problem, people still aren’t buying heat pumps

The UK’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2050 is legally binding, yet progress towards decarbonisation of home heating remains limited. This SMF commentary reviews a timely recent report from the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) at UCL, on how to induce households to change their behaviour and replace their boilers with heat pumps.
Published: 08 March 2024
Author: Niamh O Regan
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Publication

Insulating Britain: Examining the barriers and motivations to decarbonising our homes

Decarbonising home heat, which accounts for 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions, is essential if the UK is to achieve its target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. But current policies are falling short. This report explores what motivates landlords and owner occupiers to insulate their homes, and how to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from doing so.
Published: 24 November 2023
Author: Niamh O Regan
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Publication

Getting the measure of transport poverty: Understanding and responding to the UK’s hidden crisis

As the single largest cost for millions of households across the UK, understanding the financial burden of transport is critical to decreasing poverty. Yet, unlike for energy or housing, there is no metric in place to track the cost and accessibility of transport. This report seeks to fill that gap by developing a measure to demonstrate the causes, locations and depths of transport poverty.
Published: 15 November 2023
Author: Gideon Salutin
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Publication

Supply change: Seizing opportunity in the UK heat pump supply chain

Despite the government’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, the UK’s heat pump supply chain is still in its infancy and remains much weaker than in mainland Europe or Asia. This report explores the economic and environmental benefits of making the UK’s heat pump supply chain more robust and provides recommendations for how to turn this opportunity into a reality.
Published: 18 October 2023
Author: Niamh O Regan
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Publication

One year on from the Inflation Reduction Act: International responses to the IRA

The success of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has triggered significant changes in international trade and manufacturing, as other OECD governments have sought to imitate its approach. This briefing surveys international responses to the IRA to identify how the can UK take advantage of the opportunities in this new economic regime.
Published: 16 August 2023
Author: Gideon Salutin
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Publication

We can’t keep heating like this: A fairer deal for heat networks

Up to 900,000 UK families living in heat networks (i.e. receiving energy from a source shared with other buildings) risk facing staggering increases to their energy bills, by 700% in some cases. Beyond the immediate crisis, there are long-standing issues with heat networks. In this briefing, Will Damazer sets out an ambitious plan to overhaul the heat network system and secure a fairer deal for all those living in them.
Published: 23 May 2023
Author: Will Damazer
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Publication

Lagging behind: New insights into the barriers to energy efficiency uptake

Britain has the leakiest homes in England, and the case for improving energy efficiency is only getting stronger. It is unclear if government support provided thus far is enough to encourage people improve their homes' energy efficiency. In this briefing, we present much-needed evidence on different consumers’ perspectives on the need for these measures, and the barriers to uptake.
Published: 29 March 2023
Author(s): Amy Norman, Niamh O Regan
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Publication

Fairer, warmer, cheaper: New energy bill support policies to support British households in an age of high prices

The current system of policies supporting households with high energy bills is inadequate for an era of high energy bills. In this final, report with Public First, we present a new policy framework that should be in place by spring 2024 – to ensure warmer homes, fairer use of public money, and overall cheaper bills. It is part of a wider project commissioned and supported by Citizens Advice.
Published: 08 March 2023
Author(s): Amy Norman, Scott Corfe, James Kirkup, Daisy Powell-Chandler
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Publication

A vehicle for change: Upskilling the UK’s technicians to service and repair electric vehicles

A key part of shifting to cleaner road transport will require replacing 32 million high-carbon vehicles with alternatives like electric vehicles. This report explores the key challenges is upskilling the industry to repair and maintain EVs, presents suggestions for what policymakers can do to support those in vehicle service, maintenance, and repair.
Published: 07 December 2022
Author: Amy Norman
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