MPs have called for remaining energy-transition policy costs to be moved from household electricity bills onto gas bills, as part of a wider package of recommendations intended to make electricity cheaper and encourage consumers to switch to lower-carbon technologies.
The House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee made the recommendation in its report The cost of energy, published on 21 October 2026. The committee also urged ministers to protect gas customers who are least able to benefit from changing their heating systems.
Why MPs want to change energy bills
The committee argues that adding policy costs to electricity prices makes technologies such as heat pumps less financially attractive compared with gas heating. It wants the government to move all remaining energy-transition policy costs off electricity and onto gas, while ensuring targeted support for vulnerable households and those unable to switch.
The proposal would change how existing costs are recovered rather than automatically eliminate them. The effect on an individual household would depend on its electricity and gas use and any protection introduced by ministers. Gas-dependent households could face higher bills without compensating measures.
Windfall profits and energy debts
The committee also called on the government to identify windfall profits within the energy system and use excess returns to reduce bills. It said electricity network operators should contribute towards reducing the consumer energy-debt burden, pointing to profits higher than expected during the RIIO-2 regulatory period.
MPs also want clearer itemised bills, with Ofgem empowered to require suppliers or operators to explain the charges consumers pay. They urged ministers to accelerate efforts to reduce the link between gas prices and electricity prices and to tackle wholesale energy costs.
Committee chair calls for affordability
Committee chair Bill Esterson MP said the energy transition must address costs and security, and argued that households and businesses need affordable electricity if they are to adopt new technologies.
Not government policy
No transfer of charges has been announced by the government. The proposals are recommendations from a House of Commons select committee, not legislation or changes already in force. Ministers are due to respond to the report, and any future change would require decisions about implementation and consumer protections.
The committee's report does not establish how much any individual household would save or pay under the proposal. Its recommendations should not be confused with separate discussions about gas standing charges.