White paper: rethinking fuel poverty and net zero
A smarter, more affordable path to decarbonising UK homes
Current approaches to energy use and net zero focus on large-scale retrofit and rapid electrification. But for many households—and for the public sector—these solutions are increasingly unaffordable and risk making fuel poverty worse.
This white paper sets out a more practical alternative.
A new way forward
Introducing CMAX and EMAX: two complementary frameworks that rethink how we approach retrofit and energy affordability.
- CMAX shows what households can realistically afford to invest in their homes, highlighting the limits of current retrofit expectations
- EMAX focuses on what households can afford to pay for energy, offering a new approach to fairer, more effective tariffs
Together, they provide a clear, evidence-based pathway to delivering affordable warmth and net zero at scale.
What you’ll gain from this paper
- A realistic alternative to EPC C targets, with a more deliverable focus on improving the worst-performing homes.
- Insight into why retrofit alone won’t solve fuel poverty—and what needs to change.
- A practical case for lower-cost, high-impact interventions over expensive deep retrofit.
- A new model for fair energy pricing that supports electrification without increasing household costs.
- Clear recommendations to help the public sector deliver scalable, place-based decarbonisation.
For local authorities and public sector partners, the challenge is clear: deliver net zero while protecting residents and managing constrained budgets.
This paper shows how a combined approach—targeted retrofit and smarter energy pricing—can reduce carbon, tackle fuel poverty, and deliver better outcomes for communities.
