Energy Independence Bill Introduced in Parliament on 4 November 2026, Creating Warm Homes Agency and Overhauling Energy Market Regulation

The Energy Independence Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 4 November 2026, with explanatory notes published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Bill is a major piece of legislation spanning thirteen parts that would significantly reshape the UK's energy regulatory landscape. Part 1 creates a new Warm Homes Agency, which would take on home energy-efficiency and building decarbonisation functions currently split across Salix, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Ofgem; the Bill separately creates a 'designated administrator' mechanism under which responsibility for existing statutory schemes, including the renewables obligation, certificate purchase obligation, feed-in tariff schemes, and guarantee of origin certificates, may later be transferred to the Agency or another body by secondary legislation. Part 2 overhauls consumer protection and market oversight, including reforming the principal objectives governing gas and electricity supply regulation, introducing new penalty and compensation powers, and enabling the Secretary of State to designate a strategy and policy statement for the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (GEMA). Part 3 introduces a new licensing regime for specified energy intermediary services, including authorisation requirements, enforcement powers, and appeal rights to the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Further parts address energy affordability, community benefit obligations, reformed national pricing, electricity network infrastructure, energy system flexibility, oil and gas transition and regulation, coal and mining remediation, hydrogen power revenue support contracts, and employment rights for offshore workers. The Bill's breadth reflects the government's ambition to consolidate energy policy reform across a single legislative vehicle.

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