Easing the shock of the energy crisis

theguardian.com:

Re the energy price crisis (Letters, 6 February), by the time I put the kettle on in the morning, my house has already used £1 of electricity overnight. It is almost impossible to use less than 6 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a day even if you only run basics such as fridge, freezer, television, phone chargers etc. But a household running a bare minimum of appliances pays the same price for electricity as someone heating a swimming pool. More, in fact, because of the effect of the daily standing charge.

One way to ensure that all households can afford a basic, essential level of usage would be to make the first 5 kWh of usage per day, per household very cheap (or even free, the equivalent of the tax-free income band). Then charge a progressively higher rate the more you use. And, like income tax, it would be progressive and redistributive without costing the exchequer a penny.Sue BeesleyDutton, Cheshire

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