Britons blame 'Donald Trump tax' for soaring household energy costs

Interest in solar panels and heat pumps has soared since the Iran conflict broke out, with people blaming a “Trump tax” for rising household costs, polling shows.

A third of adults say they are more interested in installing the climate-friendly systems than they were before bombing began in the Middle East.

But the survey of more than 2,000 adults by Survation for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition found 60 per cent thought energy tech was too expensive to install.

Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) want greater Government support for insulation, and 68 per cent would like more funding for solar panels and heat pumps to tackle a future energy crisis by reducing energy use and bringing down bills.

With looming energy price rises from July, which more than four-fifths are worried about (83 per cent) and 44 per cent say they will not be able to afford, nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) want to see targeted help from the Government and 67 per cent want to see support for all households, the polling found.

The survey also found that three-quarters of the public (76 per cent) hold US President Donald Trump responsible for energy bill increases set to hit UK households due to the conflict in Iran.

Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) agree the rise amounts to a “Trump tax” on their bills.

People also blame energy companies, with two-thirds (64 per cent) agreeing the energy industry is profiteering from the Iran conflict, which has seen oil and gas prices climb.

More than half think ending the windfall tax on energy firms now is wrong.

As a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran pushing up energy prices, 35 per cent of people quizzed in the survey said they had become more interested in home energy technology that could save them money on bills, while only a quarter said they had not and a fifth said they already had such tech in their homes.

Of those who were more interested, 45 per cent were keen on roof-top solar panels, 36 per cent would like more home insulation, 35 per cent are interested in the new plug-in solar option the Government is planning to bring into shops and 26 per cent are more interested in getting a heat pump.

Simon Francis, End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator, said: “The public has had enough of history repeating itself.

“They want to protect themselves from oil and gas price shocks for good, and the Government has both the means and the mandate to help them do it.

“Energy firms made £125billion in profits on their UK operations over the last five years and companies like BP are already expecting bumper profits from the fresh crisis.

“The windfall tax revenue raised by the Treasury should be going further to help households cut their bills for good,” he said, urging the Government to make its “warm homes plan” more ambitious and guarantee every upgraded home will see energy efficiency improve and bills come down.

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Under the £15billion plan, homeowners will be able to access low and zero-interest loans, while low-income and fuel-poor households will get free upgrades, for insulation, solar panels, heat pumps and batteries.

Robert Palmer, deputy director of campaign group Uplift, which backs the transition from fossil fuel production in the UK, said: “People know they’re being hit with a Trump Tax, plain and simple.

“We’re facing higher energy bills, rocketing fuel prices and more expensive mortgages.

“Our dependence on fossil fuels is making all of us poorer. All except for the oil and gas bosses and their shareholders who – once again – are set to cash in at our expense.”

He said more drilling in the North Sea, as Mr Trump has repeatedly called for, would not “take a penny off our bills” and have no meaningful impact on UK gas supplies.

“The only way to insulate ourselves from these risks is to press on with renewables, like wind, and upgrade our homes with solar power and heat pumps, so we can free ourselves from oil and gas and ensure we have a liveable planet,” he said.

Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey said: “We are determined to fight people’s corner to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, going further and faster to protect consumers from the fossil fuel rollercoaster for good.

“It’s clear the British people’s interest in upgrading their homes and lowering their bills is also stepping up, and we want all households to benefit from our clean power mission.

“That’s why we’re making plug-in solar panels available in shops within months.

“We are also helping low-income households access free solar and clean energy upgrades, alongside zero and low-interest loans, through the Warm Homes Plan – the biggest home upgrade scheme in British history.”

A separate poll found that half of people support phasing out new gas and oil boilers in favour of clean heating from 2035.

But the poll of 3,000 adults for the MCS Foundation, which certifies renewables in homes, found support was higher (58 per cent) when people were asked if they backed all new heating systems having zero-carbon emissions from 2035 rather than focusing on a boiler “phase out”.