Energy penalties

Richard Lloyd’s article, “Dealing with Britain’s broken energy market” (26 September), calls for the involvement of the National Audit Office in ensuring that “decarbonisation is affordable for all consumers”.

As he says, consumers are being “taxed” through their energy bills.

The principle of taxation tries to ensure the ability to pay the charge and those who are struggling are not asked to pay. The present system for these eco levies was changed from a per consumer charge to a per consumption charge to try to reduce energy consumption, but with no recognition of ability to pay.

Reducing consumption is all very laudable, but it penalises those of us who live in the colder and windier parts of the UK who have to consume more energy over a longer period of the year just to keep warm.

It also unfairly penalises those whose homes are all electric, perhaps because much of rural Scotland is not on the gas grid. Half of Scotland (from Argyll and Dundee northwards) is also required to pay more for the distribution element of electricity.

Richard Lloyd is right. The energy market is not fit for purpose and a fairer system needs to be devised. Scotland, and its economy, is certainly not well served by the present one.

R J Ardern

Southside Road

Inverness