The study, titled Firm Foundations, estimates that maintaining the current trajectory for net zero by 2050 could cost the UK approximately £320 billion over two decades. Researchers suggest that by reforming network spending and removing certain carbon taxes, the country could achieve an 80 per cent clean energy system while reducing the financial burden on 29 million households. However, the report’s own modeling indicates that actual bill reductions for the average consumer would likely be closer to £200 per year by 2035.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch championed the findings as a pragmatic alternative to existing climate strategies, accusing the Labour government of prioritizing ideology over empirical evidence. Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho described the report as the most detailed costing of the electricity system in British politics, intended to expose the long-term price of current renewable policies.

Critics have challenged the viability of the proposal. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh warned that the plan would tether the UK to volatile fossil fuel markets, potentially leaving families vulnerable to price spikes. The report itself acknowledges significant trade-offs, including an estimated 524 million tonnes of cumulative carbon emissions and a heightened exposure to gas price shocks. To manage these risks, the authors note that policymakers would eventually need to determine how to offset costs through broader taxation adjustments.