In recent years we have seen the rapid rise of climate risk as a major focus for companies across the economy, with sustainability and wider environmental risks such as those around biodiversity increasingly treated as growing and even existential concerns for investors – from outgoing Bank of England Governor Mark Carney's warning that companies m...

' Data is key to making informed policy choices, but current provisions for access to smart meter data for a public interest purpose leave policy makers at risk of "flying blind" into the energy transition .' The Smart Meter Energy Data Public Interest Advisory Group (PIAG) , a landmark joint project convened by Sustainability First and the Centre ...

Putting on a hard hat and standing next to a digger can be a difficult photo opportunity to resist.As the Infrastructure revolution gathers pace, we can expect more pictures from across the country as new MPs do just this.There are many good reasons to do so. With significant regional inequality, 'levelling up' is the fair thing to do – between reg...

2020 is already a defining year for the climate crisis.The COP26 Climate Conference in November will ensure all eyes are focused on the need for action.Turning talk into a meaningful international agreement on net-zero is not plain sailing. With the Government's 2050 net zero commitment, it is also a significant opportunity to show leadership at ho...

We've had a decisive election result – but what has changed in the utility space?  Some companies may feel that they have 'dodged a bullet' and that they are now 'off the hook' in terms of delivering on fairness and the environment.  That they are now free to return to 'business as usual'.  We strongly disagree and consider that our ...

​ Over the last year, debate on the future of capitalism and 'inclusive capitalism' has taken off. A focus on corporate purpose has been at the heart. What this actually means and how to embed purpose in a meaningful way – so this doesn't just lead to CSR 'purpose-wash' – occupies many column inches. Last week the British Academy released its groun...

Guest Blog from Richard Hall, Chief Energy Economist, Citizens Advice To go alongside our recent Fair for the Future Project working note on 'Changes in the consumer lived experience in regard to fairness and the environment' , Rich has shared his perspective from Citizens Advice. We live in uncertain times.Some basic assumptions about how society ...

​ Change comes fast but utility regulation risks slow motion. Since the RIIO2 process kicked off some two years back, government has legislated for a 2050 net zero green-house gas reduction target – and XR certainly knows how to focus minds. What's more, the wider politics of our utilities continues to pose a major challenge for economic regulation...

While there is near universal support for the move to net zero emissions, the elephant in the room remains the question of how this should be paid for.  The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) asked HM Treasury to undertake a review of how the transition will be funded and where the costs will fall, noting that a key policy challenge is to ensur...

​ There has been a lot of talk over the summer, including in the pages of the Financial Times, on corporate purpose and how a focus on this may help 'reinvent capitalism'.  There has also been a clear pushback that discussion of purpose needs to lead to changes on the ground if they are to move beyond 'virtue signalling'. Sustainability First'...

This summer, Sustainability First convened the third workshop in our Fair for the Future project, aimed at establishing a 'Sustainable Licence to Operate' for the energy and water sectors as set out in our proposed strawman .  The third pillar of the strawman focuses on the roles and responsibilities of key sectoral stakeholders in terms of de...

The decision in June by six parliamentary select committees to establish a citizens' assembly on combatting climate change and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is a hugely welcome one. Parliament's commitment to explore deliberative, democratic options for decision-making around decarbonisation is very much in keeping with Pillar 3 of Sustainab...

Smart Meter Energy Data Public Interest Advisory Group The rollout of smart meters across the UK represents a major £11bn national investment paid for by customers – but there is a risk that the wider societal benefit of more granular customer-side energy data may not be delivered . Market actors with customer consent have access to granular smart ...

What different types of capital does the company have to deliver its public purpose and create systems value? On 26 March, Sustainability First hosted the second workshop of our Fair for the Future project into delivering a ' Sustainable Licence to Operate ' for the energy and water sectors . The workshop tested the second 'Pillar' of our Sustainab...

It's widely understood that we are in the midst of an energy transition driven by the need to de-carbonise and the broader trends of digitalisation and decentralisation / democratisation. Sustainability First has been engaged in these debates from a consumer stand-point for a long time including running a major multi-party project from 2011-2014 wh...

The RIIO2 price control process is set to shape customer and consumer service levels and investment plans by the GB energy networks for years to come. Over the past year Sustainability First has taken a strong interest in how Ofgem would frame its approach in the RIIO2 process towards low-carbon facilitation by the energy networks. Not least, an im...

​ On 7th March, Sustainability First and Frontier Economics held a joint event on 'Future thinking on utility regulation and fairness.' We had some great speakers including Cathryn Ross, Director of Regulatory Affairs at BT Group, Alistair Philips-Davies, CEO of SSE, and Adam Scorer, CEO of National Energy Action. Cathryn shared a personal perspect...

With both Labour and Conservative parties set on a more interventionist course in relation to the utilities, and polling continuing to demonstrate steady and significant support for public ownership, energy and water companies are well aware that 'the nationalisation challenge' is one they need to meet head on.However, in order to do so, and in ord...

In the face of the nationalisation challenge, and concerns around social justice and democratic deficits, many energy and water companies have started to ask themselves fundamental questions about what they are there to do and the impact that they want to have as a business. Across a whole range of sectors, academics, politicians, and of course com...

In December of last year, Energy Futures Lab published a briefing paper by Dr Richard Carmichael, Dr Rob Gross and Dr Aidan Knowles, Unlocking the potential of residential electricity consumer engagement with Demand Response . This paper represents an excellent contribution to the debate, assessing the evidence base so far and setting out some futu...