At the bottom of my latest gas and electric bill is a line saying "Government Electricity Rebate" and a credit of £12.
Seriously?
Yes.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change explains:
Rising energy bills have been causing concern for many households. Rising wholesale gas prices have contributed most to higher energy bills in recent years.
However, the costs of energy and climate change policies also make up a proportion of domestic bills. The policies bring a number of benefits to consumers and the economy. For example, by increasing the proportion of renewable energy we reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and by improving the energy efficiency of homes we reduce consumption and household costs. Without government policies, average household energy bills would be higher.
Government is taking action to make these policies more affordable.
The Government Electricity Rebate (GER) is a £12 government contribution to help lower the impacts of these Government environmental and social policy costs on consumer energy bills.