Rishi Sunak's priority is to 'curb inflation' says Atkins

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The race to be the next Prime minister and the leader of the Conservative Party is now down to two candidates, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister will have a Herculean task ahead of them- tackling the energy crisis. Currently, households in the UK are expected to face energy bills in the region of around £3,200 a year by this winter, according to some analysts.

Both candidates have made a number of announcements about how they will tackle the crisis facing millions of Britons.

However, experts have backed Mr Sunak’s plans, and believe that he could roll out an ambitious support scheme that could wipe off as much as £600 a year from household energy bills.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Will Hodson, Consumer Champion, How To Save It said: “I think you have to say that Rishi was perceived as being somewhat sceptical about climate change policy, and wasn’t seen as the most enthusiastic support either in how acted in the Treasury or how he voted in Parliament.

“With that said, he is making quite encouraging noises now as he gets into the run-offs for the Tory party leadership.

“I think what you’ve seen from him is a fairly sensible targeting of energy efficiency. That makes total sense to me.

“There’s this false dichotomy between the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis.”

Mr Hodson believes that both crises “boil down to the same thing”, which is the overreliance and overuse of expensive fossil fuels,

Because of this, he believes that by ending reliance on oil and natural gas, both problems can be tackled at the same time.

He continued: “So I think a candidate pushing for energy efficiency is on the right track, that’s where I’m optimistic that he’s going to be doing a lot of good for the country.”

He said that he “expects” announcements of new energy efficiency schemes, adding that “he’s a guy who’s not backing away from the green levies.

“You talk about how the different candidates stand on that and where they should be, those levies will allow energy efficiency measures.

“That said, he’s pragmatic, there’s a pragmatism to this.

“He’s also made announcements about onshore wind. He said while he wants energy independence by 2045, he doesn’t want to impose onshore wind installations on the British public.

“Personally, I think if we’re to get to energy independence, it’s important we listen to communities that keep the conversation open.”

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Mr Hodson noted that while the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers households as much as £5,000 to replace gas boilers with heat pumps, is important and saves money, it is not the priority right now.

As the price of gas increases, he said that “what’s more pragmatic right now, and what I think we’ll see more of a focus on in the coming weeks to solve the short term problem for everyone, is energy efficiency.

“Before, Britons have thought that energy efficiency and insulating your homes is for other people.

“We entering an era where this is for everyone now.

“With the right package of support, we’re all going to benefit from it.

“It’s a matter of fact that Britain has the oldest housing stock in Europe, and I think we can take pride in the fact that British homes are built to last.

“There’s also the reality that those homes are drafty and leaky, and that’s why we’re in a situation where energy efficiency measures can save Brits £600 a year if the program is well designed and rolled out correctly, which it can be.

“I expect this to be done well because this is something that can save money straight away, and is pragmatic.”

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