Overview

• Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is poised to deliver his advice on adopting zonal pricing for electricity within days
• The prime minister has stepped in to demand closer examination of the scheme’s costs versus benefits
• A Lords committee report backs regional pricing as a means to optimise grid capacity and curb new infrastructure spending
• Supporters project £52 billion in consumer savings and £27 billion in reduced grid upgrade costs over 20 years
• Critics warn the change would impose higher bills in the South, create a postcode lottery and deter renewable energy investment