France and Norway are cushioning the impact of high energy bills in particular:
France: "..forcing the state-owned energy provider EDF to limit electricity wholesale price rises to 4 per cent for a year. The move is expected to cost €8.4 billion. The French government aims for this move to limit electricity price increases to 4 per cent, compared to an expected 45 per cent.
Norway: "According to a scheme introduced by the government in 2021, Norwegians only pay bills in full when prices are under 70 crowns (€7) per kWh. When energy bills pass that threshold, the government covers 80 per cent of the total."
Meanwhile in the UK, we have a self-absorbed government that has effectively 'checked-out' with no urgency to tackle cost-of-living crisis.
I'm not sure that the move to cap electricity prices in France really 'costs' anything since moat of electricity is from local nuclear and hydro. It sounds more of a loss of potential earnings for EDF (which is indeed in the process of being fully re-mationalised so the State may be fine with that).
The issue in the UK is that the government has nowhere to go apart from actually paying hard cash to subsidise prices to consumers... an inexistant national energy strategy cannot be dreamt up overnight (it's not just this government, it's been going on for decades).
It's going to be an absolute shitshow this winter and the (UK) government may be forced to do something even if that means borrowing even more, although they can also impose a windfall tax in energy companies (they already have).
Just correcting the units of order here for Norway:
The Norwegian government pays 80% of the price above 70 øre (€0.0704) per kWh.
From October they will increase this to 90%. The coverage is capped at 5000 kWh consumption per month.
France: "..forcing the state-owned energy provider EDF to limit electricity wholesale price rises to 4 per cent for a year. The move is expected to cost €8.4 billion. The French government aims for this move to limit electricity price increases to 4 per cent, compared to an expected 45 per cent.
Norway: "According to a scheme introduced by the government in 2021, Norwegians only pay bills in full when prices are under 70 crowns (€7) per kWh. When energy bills pass that threshold, the government covers 80 per cent of the total."
Meanwhile in the UK, we have a self-absorbed government that has effectively 'checked-out' with no urgency to tackle cost-of-living crisis.