Ed Hezlet (@watt_direction) / X

Ed Hezlet

672 posts

Ed Hezlet

@watt_direction

Writes about energy policy in the UK. Former equity analyst. Views my own.

London

wattdirection.substack.com

Joined October 2024

Pinned
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Oct 22, 2025
On 30 Sep 2024, the UK closed its last coal plant. This was the day we should have ended carbon price support – an extra tax to get coal off the grid. In the Budget, @RachelReevesMP has the chance to cut bills for millions + boost electrification, by ending CPS Here’s how:
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Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Oct 15, 2025
Great to see the UK electricity cost debate move on from just blaming marginal costs: CEO of EDF UK points to the role of declining consumption driving up electricity costs in the UK 🇬🇧 Spreading more fixed costs over declining volumes is not the way forward....
00:00
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Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Aug 12, 2025
A warm summers day in the UK ☀️ And another opportunity to talk about air-to-air heat pumps like the one in my local café
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Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
May 6, 2025
The UK energy debate has been missing a crucial chart Here it is – my attempt to split out the gas and carbon costs for a UK combined cycle gas power plant from January 2012 to March 2025
22K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Oct 15, 2025
Replying to @watt_direction
The UK is starting to care about moving towards cheap, abundant electricity But we have been in a tough feedback loop of high prices and falling volumes for a long time
15K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Nov 8, 2025
Electricity unit prices 4.4x those of gas = very few heat pumps...
Tom Forth
@thomasforth
Nov 7, 2025
I'm heat pump curious because it's cool technology and I want instant hot water but lol, no way with that ratio.
13K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Nov 18, 2025
Great to see today's news that air-to-air heat pumps will be included in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme! The scheme will offer a £2,500 discount for air-to-air heat pump installations - giving consumers a cheaper way to decarbonise their homes x.com/watt_direction…
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Aug 12, 2025
A warm summers day in the UK ☀️ And another opportunity to talk about air-to-air heat pumps like the one in my local café
23K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Jun 12, 2025
A big week for energy in the UK - £14.2bn of funding for Sizewell C and progress on UK SMR’s ⚛️ But most importantly, I am delighted to have joined @BritishProgress to work on UK energy policy!
3.7K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Nov 1, 2025
Assume a CfD generator gets paid £80 per MWh and the UK net exports power during a production glut at £20 per MWh. The generator still gets the top up payment of £60 per MWh for power the 🇬🇧 doesn't need? Will this become a bigger issue in time? Source: NESO CP2030
2.7K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Oct 15, 2025
Replying to @watt_direction
I'm an optimist - start getting costs down and we can turn this around But we need to start discussing all of the drivers of electricity costs - the Electricity Bills website is a great resource electricitybills.uk
14K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Nov 5, 2025
More frustration - reading National Grid's 10 Year Statement from 2014 - the foresight is crystal clear yet again... 2014, a 1.75 GW boundary constraint with nearly 8 GW of contracted wind generation projects. What did we think was going to happen?
2.6K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Oct 22, 2025
Replying to @watt_direction
This is where price comes in - even if a heat pump is over 3x as efficient as a gas boiler, the technology is held back by electricity costing 4x as much as gas. Most consumers won’t get heat pumps if electricity is way more expensive than gas.
10K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Jul 29, 2025
Excellent piece of journalism - first I have seen that quantifies the impact of the de minimis parcel loophole in the UK
Ed Conway
@EdConwaySky
Jul 29, 2025
EXCLUSIVE 👗Billions of pounds of imports... ↗️Rising by more than 50% a year... 🛬Planes stuffed with cheap clothes... 🇨🇳And a loophole saving Chinese companies from £billions of UK taxes. Behind the scenes of one of the biggest stories in the modern economy: e-commerce 👇
13K
Ed Hezlet
@watt_direction
Oct 23, 2025
Reduce the costs of electricity and electrification technology will start to work for consumers Cheaper Power 2030 is the right approach - decarbonisation in a pro-growth and pro-consumer way
Tone Langengen
@ToneLangengen
Oct 23, 2025
NEW paper from @InstituteGC today. We argue Britain’s energy mission must shift - from Clean Power 2030 to Cheaper Power 2030. To cut bills, unlock growth, and secure lasting public support for net zero👇
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