MPS have hit out at ministers for failing to produce a promised report on the impact of green energy schemes on Brits' bills.

The influential Public Accounts Committee said it was told in 2014 it would get an annual summary of the impact of green energy schemes on bills – but it hasn't seen one since.

Politicians said that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had "significantly underestimated" the cost of three green schemes.

The Levy Control Framework aims to manage the costs of the low-carbon schemes – which are paid for by levies on energy companies, and ultimately, bill payers.

The committee said customers would have to foot the bill – thought to cost around £110 per household per year. That's £17 higher than was planned.

MPs have previously said the Department was being "wildly optimistic" about the forecasts of demand for Green Deal loans – which have now been scrapped.

This was a Government scheme set up to help homeowners pay for double glazing and wall insulation – to make their homes more energy-efficient.

The other green schemes included support for small renewable energy generators, and an obligation for energy companies to buy some of their energy from low-carbon generators.

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Meg Hillier MP, chair of the PAC, said today that ordinary Brits deserved to know whether the schemes were good value or not.

She said: "The Government has failed to meet its commitment to report annually on the impact these policies are having on bills. Current arrangements just aren’t good enough.

"At the same time, the Government expects the cost of levies to continue to bust the budget – meaning customers will pay more than expected.

"This is a result of poor forecasting and further evidence of excessive optimism in the implementation of energy policy."

The Department said it would respond to the report "in due course" but stressed that it had taken action to "revise renewable energy subsidies" last year to protect customers from higher bills.

A spokesperson told the BBC: "The strong, decisive action we took reduced projected costs by over £500m to protect people's household budgets and ensure value for money while delivering more environmentally friendly energy."

 

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