More effort should be aimed at helping households and businesses to better manage their energy bills.

This means greater efficiency and behaviour change. The average household could save more money by turning off their appliances, instead of leaving them on standby, than the average energy company makes in profit per household.

Even more could be saved through proper energy efficiency measures given the UK has some of the least well insulated homes in Europe. For too long it’s been thought of as an issue of secondary importance.

Businesses are required to navigate a labyrinth of acronyms of conflicting and overlapping policies. At the domestic user level the Green Deal has been something of a damp squib due to the complexity and cost of the policy while the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is in need of a successor. Our approach needs to change and efficiency must be treated as a first order issue for the next energy and climate change secretary who should treat it as a key infrastructure priority.

Our most energy intensive industries are already paying more for their energy than many of their European competitors and far more than those outside of the EU.

These energy intensive users are important to both the economy and our low-carbon goals. They provide materials like glass, ceramics and steel, which are fundamental components of the low-carbon transition – not to mention 225,000 jobs. We must make every effort to ensure that the next government continues to support their ability to decarbonise in the UK, now and over the long-term, rather than elsewhere.

It is important that we work with other countries within and outside of Europe to ensure that we are all moving in the same direction.  

Climate change is global and cannot be solved unilaterally.  We must press for reform of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) so that it supports emissions reduction and investment whilst maintaining competitiveness.  We should also continue to work to secure a global deal at the UN climate change negotiations so that we bring the biggest emitters with us in a global framework; reducing our emissions and ensuring our competitors share the burden.

Getting these policy challenges right represents an opportunity to deliver growth, jobs and prosperity across the country. But decisions taken over the next parliament will have a major impact on whether or not we can meet this ambition so it’s essential that the business community is united and steers a new government along the right path.