Power games

The reason is clear. Britain needs an energy revolution if future supplies are going to be safeguarded, and even the coalition's Labour opponents recognised this when they backed the Government's endeavours.

The final details remain to be seen – Energy Secretary Chris Huhne's reforms are only at the consultation stage – but the strategy cannot be put on hold continually. Decisions taken now will determine whether the lights remain burning in 2030 and beyond.

Yet what will perturb householders, as the winter chill returns with a vengeance, is the extent to which household bills could rise by as much as 500 a year – and this is on top of motoring costs that have seen petrol prices reach a new high today. Mr Huhne, despite his statesmanlike intentions, was curiously vague on this. He said bills would rise in the medium-term, and then claimed that costs in 20 years' time would be lower than if the coalition had not acted and put in place a long-term strategy.

That maybe so. However, it is of little comfort to those who find themselves at the mercy of the pricing policies being pursued by the major energy suppliers – and the serial inability of the industry regulator to protect the interests of consumers.

As Labour's approval of the coalition's approach implied, doing nothing is not an option and the Government's incentives to low-carbon producers should help this country to meet its climate change obligations. But, to reassure residents they are not being ripped off, there needs to be far greater transparency and clarity over bills, including a breakdown on how much money is being spent on securing long-term energy supplies.