- Defence and net zero go hand-in-hand
- The UK is vulnerable to energy price spikes
- Renewable energy is the key to making the country energy secure
- Max Schwerdtfeger explains how it’s not one or the other
Low-carbon technology is, quite simply, critical to the UK’s economic and energy security for its potential to bring down costs and safeguard bills from geopolitical crises, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Recent developments with the Russo-Ukraine war, largely President Donald Trump’s seeming decision to stop supporting the Ukrainians, has pushed the UK and EU countries to step up their own backing of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government in Kyiv, with commitments to increase defence spending.
In the past month there has been speculation that the government will sacrifice its promises to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower to pay for the increase in defence spending.
In fact, some right-wing voices have been actually calling for it, including Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK who on the topic of where the government should raise money for the armed forces was quoted by The Sun saying: “Scrap the whole of GB Energy. Scrap Net Stupid Zero. Job done.”
While has been no official announcement to that effect at the time of writing, and there are signs, with the published Planning and Infrastructure Bill, that ministers will look for savings elsewhere.
This is welcome news, as the UK government’s desire to contain an expansionist Putin would pave the way for polluting industries to let rip, with less government regulation. In the long term, this would be self-defeating and damage both the country’s energy independence and security.
Get free solar panel quotes
Answer a few quick questions, and our trusted installers will send you bespoke solar panel quotes – for free.
Net zero means lower bills and energy security
Since winning the general election last summer, the Labour government has made achieving energy security a priority, as it sees this as the best way to bring household energy bills under control.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower and to keep energy bills down permanently.
This includes massively ramping up the country’s clean energy capacity and launching a new national energy company, Great British Energy, as well as incentivising the Bank of England to invest in renewable projects.
However, why is it important that the UK becomes energy secure?
Because as well as the benefits to the environment, it will also mean household bills will be cheaper.
The Energy Price Cap, the limit that the average household pays for electricity, will increase from 1st April 2025 by 6.4% to £1,849 a year, meaning average household energy bills will go up by about £111 a year.
Rising energy bills are largely down to the UK’s reliance on energy imported from abroad, which, in turn, makes the UK vulnerable to geopolitical crises.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, British consumers have been hit by spiking gas prices several times, with the price cap increasing by 54% at one point in April 2022 compared to pre-war levels.
For context, wholesale gas accounts for about 43% of the average household bill, and the wholesale price of gas has increased, according to the House of Commons Library.
Added to that is the fact that the UK is a large net importer of energy; in 2023 we imported 40.8% of our energy, a figure that was 3.8% higher year-on-year.
“Domestic sources of clean energy bolster our energy security,” trade association Energy UK told The Eco Experts.
“The price of gas is set internationally, so this will always be vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and changes in supply, as we saw in the gas price crisis.
A spokesperson said that with the more domestic sources of clean energy in the UK’s generation mix, “the less exposed” it would be to volatility. “Bolstering energy security and meeting our clean power 2030 target go hand in hand,” they said.
Energy UK also urged ministers to “focus on improving things for customers” by increasing domestic sources of power to “protect them from volatile energy costs” and to put in place “long term, targeted support for households struggling to afford bills”.
Achieving energy independence will mean the UK will be able to produce its own energy without being reliant on buying it on fluctuating markets.
Get £7500 towards your heat pump installation through a trusted installer
An MCS-certified heat pump installer can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme on your behalf, get a quote from one now
Net Zero is the only way to achieve energy security
For an average home, solar panels can bring down annual energy costs by about 70%, which on average comes to £700 a year. Combining them with a solar battery can save an additional £710.
As well as that, they can cut carbon emissions by about 1.6 billion tonnes, the equivalent of driving 3,600 miles – or from London to Bristol 30 times. For context, the average UK home produces six tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
“Unlike gas, solar farms offer the cheapest power available,” says Gareth Simkins, from Solar Energy UK.
“The larger they are, the cheaper they get due to economies of scale.
Simkins told The Eco Experts that continuing to run the country on “pricey and polluting natural gas makes no sense”.
“It’s putting the country on the hook for imported power for years to come.
“Solar only needs a one-off investment; gas means a chronic dependence.”
As part of its efforts to make the UK energy secure, the UK has committed to doubling the onshore wind capacity and tripling solar by 2030. Additionally, the National Grid is also going through a £35bn overhaul to ensure it meets the government’s net-zero demands.
“Unlike gas, solar farms offer the cheapest power available. The larger they are, the cheaper they get due to economies of scale.
Gareth Simkins, Solar Energy UK
It has approved several new major solar farm projects and Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated in her Autumn Budget that a new National Wealth Fund would be launched to improve the UK’s clean energy industry.
Several of the grants that help households obtain low-carbon technology, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and ECO4, will also receive more funding, but there are no details as of yet.
Additionally, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, published in March 2025, is designed to get further clean energy projects up and running and to prevent delays.
The rapid increase in solar capacity has already had a positive effect, with the UK set to increase its solar capacity by up to 50% in 2025, according to industry analysts.
Renewable energy also accounted for about 45% of the UK’s energy in 2024, a year which was the cleanest on record for the country.
This all points to the UK beginning to meet its clean energy potential, but there is still a long way to go, and this is why it is so important that the government does not rethink its net-zero strategy.
Scaling back spending will not only harm the environment but it will make the country less secure, with energy bills perpetually reliant on foreign imports.
Get free double glazing quotes
Answer a few quick questions, and our trusted installers will send you bespoke double glazing quotes – for free.
Don’t give in to the naysayers for the sake of defence
If the UK is to have stable energy bills, it must produce its own energy and be energy secure, but there are numerous opponents to this idea.
Earlier this year, the populist broadcaster GB News co-published a report along with the website Facts4EU.org which blamed the UK’s dependence on foreign energy imports on the efforts to improve clean energy infrastructure, claiming that that the government should instead persevere with fossil fuels.
In March 2025, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the government’s strategy to prioritise clean energy, saying that not enough progress has been made.
Badenoch erroneously claimed that the cost of pursuing net zero would be “multi trillion”.
In its latest advice to the government on the cost of achieving net zero by 2050, the Climate Change Committee put the estimate at under £700 billion, almost half the estimate from five years ago.
Additionally, these investments would result in approximately £600 billion in savings, meaning the net spend would be roughly £100 billion over 25 years, which comes to £4 billion, or 0.2% of GDP.
Badenoch’s comments also don’t take into account that the UK’s clean energy capacity is starting from a low point and that the true benefit of clean energy won’t be felt until after the UK is no longer dependent on fossil fuels.
However, when the true benefits come through, they will be long-lasting and the UK will no longer be in danger of huge energy price spikes, which will make the country more secure in the future.
How to protect your energy bills
There are numerous ways you can keep your energy costs down, and thankfully the current government has, at the time of writing made it a priority, as part of its net-zero strategy.
In the long term, the best way to keep your energy bills down is to invest in low carbon technology, in particular solar panels and to ensue your home is well insulated.
Solar panels can cut your energy bills by anything between 50-70% a year, and you can break even on your investment in just 15 years; they even make your house more valuable if and when you choose to move.
However, there are plenty of other things you can do as well, and you can find out more by visiting our ‘How to save energy at home’ guide.
For information on specific low carbon technology, look at some of our guides.
