{"id":117448,"date":"2026-02-11T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=117448"},"modified":"2026-02-11T10:49:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:49:47","slug":"british-gas-blows-the-whistle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/british-gas-blows-the-whistle\/","title":{"rendered":"British Gas Blows the Whistle: Why Your Energy Bill Will Surge by 2030"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the UK strives to transition to net-zero emissions, energy bills are expected to climb even higher than during the peak of the Russia-Ukraine energy crisis. British Gas has issued a stark warning to all UK households, highlighting significant cost increases on the horizon. This comes at a time when energy prices are already a major concern for millions across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

British Gas, the leading energy supplier in the UK, is sounding the alarm about future energy costs. The company\u2019s parent group, Centrica<\/strong>, forecasts that the cost of electricity will surpass even the high prices seen in 2022 when the Ukraine conflict sent global energy prices soaring. According to Chris O’Shea<\/strong><\/a>, Centrica’s CEO, the driving force behind these price hikes will not just be the cost of raw energy, but so-called “system costs” associated with the UK\u2019s shift towards a net-zero energy system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Push Towards Net Zero and its Costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The UK government\u2019s ambitious net-zero goals, which aim to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050, are at the centre of the energy bill<\/a> debate<\/strong>. While the transition to renewable energy is essential for the environment, it comes with significant financial challenges. According to O’Shea, system costs, such as those required to upgrade the energy grid and invest in backup power sources, are expected to account for two-thirds<\/strong> of the electricity price by 2030. A third of these costs will be linked to wholesale energy prices, which are already volatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rise in system costs is a consequence of years of underinvestment in the UK\u2019s energy infrastructure. Experts argue that even without the pursuit of net-zero, the country would still face steep rises in energy prices due to these legacy issues. Fintan Slye<\/strong><\/a>, CEO of the National Energy System Operator (Neso), warned that mismatched energy supply and demand could lead to security issues and higher prices if renewable energy sources are placed in areas without sufficient flexibility. The demand for renewable energy infrastructure, like wind farms and solar plants, is increasing, but without adequate investment in the supporting systems, it risks further inflating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political Responses to the Energy Price Crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The rising cost of energy is causing a political stir, with calls to reduce the impact on consumers. The Conservative Party\u2019s shadow energy secretary, Claire Coutinho<\/strong>, argued that the net-zero transition could raise energy prices by introducing additional costs, such as subsidies for wind farms that are paid to switch off during windy periods. According to Coutinho, these \u201csystem costs\u201d will burden households<\/strong>, regardless of whether gas prices drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, Richard Tice<\/strong>, energy spokesman for Reform UK, pointed to the warning from British Gas as evidence that the UK risks seeing energy prices at levels seen during the Ukraine crisis in the coming years. He criticised the government\u2019s policies, particularly those associated with the push for net-zero, claiming that they are contributing to higher electricity prices<\/strong> that many Britons will struggle to afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the debate around energy prices rages on, it is clear that the transition to net-zero is not without its financial hurdles. The question remains whether the long-term benefits of a greener energy system will outweigh the immediate cost increases that households are set to face in the coming years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

British Gas has issued a stark warning to all UK households, forecasting rising energy bills by 2030. According to the company, “system costs” tied to the transition to net-zero will push prices higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":117450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117448"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117452,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117448\/revisions\/117452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}