Regulatory Assistance Project

🚨Just released🚨

'Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating'

Our brand new globally focussed paper looks at the role of energy pricing in delivering clean heat uptake and provides examples of what has been done to reduce electricity prices.

Cover of "Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating." Image shows row house with solar panels and heat pumps.

Rebalancing electricity and fossil fuel prices is a win-win: it accelerates clean heating, strengthens energy security, and delivers fairer, cheaper energy.

Read more: bit.ly/48Gx1e1

Map of Europe, with countries highlighted in different colors, showing the price ratio of electricity to fossil fuels. Red represents more than 3.5, yellow represents between 2.5 and 3.5, and blue represents less than 2.5.

Chart of Chinese province information, with provinces highlighted in different colors showing the price ratio of electricity to fossil fuels. Yellow represents between 2.5 and 3.5 and blue represents less than 2.5.

Map of North America, with states and provinces highlighted in different colors, showing the price ratio of electricity to fossil fuels. Red represents more than 3.5, yellow represents between 2.5 and 3.5, and blue represents less than 2.5.

Countries around the world are already showing this works, combining fair fossil fuel taxes, targeted credits, and smarter electricity pricing.

The result? Cleaner, more affordable heating for everyone.

Image showing the six principles: 1. Ensure that the cost of electricity used for heating should be no more than 2.5 times higher than that of fossil fuels used for heating by 2030. 2. Avoid overloading electricity bills with levies and taxes, instead recovering policy costs through broader, fairer funding bases. 3. Ensure fossil heating is not underpriced, through appropriate taxation, carbon pricing or subsidy reform. 4. Build and operate the least-cost reliable electricity systems with renewable energy at their core, improving efficiency and resilience. 5. Ensure electricity retail offerings reward demand-side flexibility, so that consumers benefit from shifting electricity use to times of low-cost, clean electricity. 6. Offer support for building owners to invest in on-site storage and power generation to further reduce their heating costs.

Led by @richardlowes.bsky.social, RAP’s new joint paper with @clasp-ngo.bsky.social, @agoraew.bsky.social, and @gbpn-org.bsky.social outlines how smarter energy pricing can make clean heating the easy, affordable choice through our six principles.

Chart with red and blue dots representing Canadian provinces and U.S. states. Title - Figure 4. Share of homes with electricity as main heating fuel and price ratio of electricity to gas in Canadian provinces and U.S. states

Chart with red and blue dots representing European countries. Title - Figure 5: Heat pump market share and price ratio of electricity to gas in Europe, 2024.

Right now, electricity is often weighed down with taxes and levies that make it more expensive than fossil fuels, discouraging the switch to clean heating.

That imbalance isn’t inevitable. It’s a policy choice, and one that governments can change.

Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating Rebalancing electricity and fossil fuel prices delivers broad benefits — boosting energy efficiency, clean transport, and economic competitiveness, while enhancing energy security and equity.

🚨OUT TODAY: “Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating.”

Heat pumps are the backbone of clean energy in buildings: efficient, low-carbon, and clean. But they’ll only take off if households and businesses see clear financial benefits.

Read more: bit.ly/48Gx1e1

The European Commission’s long-awaited grids package is coming in December and expectations are sky-high — But Brussels can’t solve Europe’s grid challenges on its own, writes RAP's Zsuzsanna Pató in her latest Op-Ed.

👉 Read her full analysis in Euractiv: www.euractiv.com/opinion/only...

How to decommission gas networks one of the biggest challenges facing gas-reliant countries.

Compelling examples are few & far between.

So, I'm pleased that Ivan-Petar Yovchev highlights steps taken by Denmark.
⬇️Fossil gas production down
⬇️Fossil gas consumption down
⬇️Fewer customers connected

Nationalisation and wind-down: Regulation of disconnections and decommissioning of the gas distribution grid in Denmark RAP examines Denmark’s policy and regulatory approach towards the decommissioning of the gas distribution network and disconnections.

Denmark’s approach offers valuable lessons for any country preparing to phase out gas and scale up clean heat solutions.

📘 Full briefing: bit.ly/4oYbXp6
#EnergyTransition #CleanHeat #GasDecommissioning #EUenergy #Denmark #RAPonline

The briefing looks at how clear rules and strategic planning can guide this transition.
Key insights:
• Why nationalisation can support an orderly wind-down
• How to regulate disconnections and decommissioning responsibly
• Ways to protect consumers and communities in the process

Nationalisation and wind-down: Regulation of disconnections and decommissioning of the gas distribution grid in Denmark RAP examines Denmark’s policy and regulatory approach towards the decommissioning of the gas distribution network and disconnections.

What does it really take to wind down an entire gas distribution grid — fairly, efficiently, and with public trust?

RAP’s latest briefing, "Nationalisation and wind-down: Regulation of disconnections and decommissioning of the gas
distribution grid in Denmark" digs in. 👇
bit.ly/4oYbXp6

Very glad to see our joint paper on smart tariffs and services in Europe now published!

What do these tariffs do, where are they emerging and what inputs do they use to optimise EV charging, heating and other household loads?

NEW RESEARCH:

Demand flexibility becomes more and more attractive.

We found a whopping 480 smart tariffs and services across Europe — a 3x increase since our 2021/2022 study.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@jaapburger.eu @regassistproj.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social

⚖️ CHESSA members may be interested in the new Council of Commissioners from the @regassistproj.bsky.social — a group of former state utility regulators focused on advancing affordable, reliable energy solutions nationwide.

🔗 buff.ly/Bjyh3Po

#EnergyPolicy #UtilityRegulation

RAP CEO @katherinehdixon.bsky.social contributed to a new report “Making Clean Steel Competitive in International Trade" from @scurveeconomics.bsky.social.

The research suggests a change of direction is needed in policy and diplomacy on steel decarbonisation. Read the report 👇.

Info about RAP's upcoming event: RAP at the NARUC Annual Meeting & Education Conference Join RAP team members Sarah Freeman, Jay Griffin, Carl Linvill, Ronny Sandoval and Andrew Valainis at NARUC's annual meeting. November 9 - 12, 2025 Seattle, Washington

📢 RAP is headed to #NARUCANNUAL25 in Seattle this weekend!

We’ll be joining sessions, workshops, and networking events throughout the conference, Nov. 9–12.

If you’ll be there too, come say hi. We’re looking forward to connecting!

RAPPORTs RAPPORT Editions Read our most recent RAPPORTs from China, Europe and the United States. To receive RAPPORTs in your inbox, subscribe here.

The council will help refocus the national debate on constructive, solutions-oriented regulatory reforms by speaking out candidly and with authority.

Watch here on Bluesky and in our newsletter, The RAPPORT, for insights from the council! www.raponline.org/rapports/

Picture of Carrie Zalewski

Carrie Zalewski served as chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission from 2019-2023.

Picture of Ted Thomas

Picture of Jamie Van Nostrand

Ted Thomas was chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission from 2015-2022.

James M. (Jamie) Van Nostrand comes to the council from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, where he was chair from 2023 until October this year.

Picture of Carl Linvill

Picture of Michael T. Richard

Carl Linvill is a principal and longtime U.S. Program team member at RAP. He served on the Nevada Public Utilities Commission from 2003-2006.

Michael T. Richard comes to the council from the Maryland Public Service Commission, where he served as a commissioner from 2016 until this year.

Picture of Kent Chandler

Picture of Megan Decker

Kent Chandler served as chair of the Kentucky Public Service Commission from 2021-2024 and vice chair from 2020-2021.

Megan Decker was chair of the Oregon Public Utility Commission from 2018 until earlier this year and was a commissioner from 2017-2018.

Portait image of Jay Griffin

Portait image of Sarah Freeman

The 9-person council lineup reads like an all-star team of former state utility commissioners. They are politically diverse and represent all U.S. regions.

We recently told you that Jay Griffin & Sarah Freeman had joined RAP, and they sit on the council. But now we can name the rest!

Poster showing the heads of our nine Council of Commissioners members: Jay Griffin, Kent Chandler, Megan Deer, Sarah Freeman, Carl Linvill, Michael T. Richard, Ted Thomas, James M. Van Nostrand, and Carrie Zalewski

🚨RAP is thrilled to officially introduce our Council of Commissioners!

This peer group will leverage former regulators’ expertise to unlock affordable energy for Americans. See our full announcement: bit.ly/47MVLjf

Clean Heat Policy Tracker Table of Contents Acknowledgements The Clean Heat Policy Tracker 2025 was designed and authored by Duncan Gibb and Richard Lowes (Regulatory Assistance Project/Clean Heat Forum). Chiara Delmastro (Int...

I'm delighted to share our new Clean Heat Policy Tracker, an initiative led by @regassistproj.bsky.social via the Clean Heat Forum). www.raponline.org/toolkit/clea...

How to scale demand flexibility in Europe | Ember Boosting demand side flexibility can lower consumer bills and provide grid stability. Ember and RAP identify the top policy actions to scale demand flexibility.

As the EU finalises its Network Code for Demand Response and sets new flexibility targets, now’s the time to act.

Scaling flexibility will make Europe’s power system more resilient, affordable, and fair.

📘 How to scale demand flexibility in Europe → bit.ly/4oAa8hS
#EnergyPolicy

Three actions to unlock demand flexibility:
1️⃣ Roll out smart grids & meters faster — in some EU countries, <10% of homes have one.
2️⃣ Reward flexibility — update time-of-use tariffs and shift policy costs off power bills.
3️⃣ Remove barriers to automation & aggregation.

#CleanEnergy #SmartGrids

How to scale demand flexibility in Europe | Ember Boosting demand side flexibility can lower consumer bills and provide grid stability. Ember and RAP identify the top policy actions to scale demand flexibility.

Europe can’t reach its clean energy goals without scaling demand flexibility. ⚡

Our new report with @ember-energy.org explains how empowering consumers to shift electricity use can cut bills, ease grid stress, and boost renewables.

Read: bit.ly/4oAa8hS
#EnergyTransition #Flexibility

Out of the sandbox. How to scale vehicle-to-grid in Europe. First page of document (full document via link).

10+ million 🔋🚗🚛🚌vehicles on Europe's roads could become an important societal resource, if fit regulation is in place.

New @regassistproj.bsky.social infographic offers recommendations to 🇪🇺 Member States on how to create a healthy ecosystem for #V2G to scale up.

www.linkedin.com/posts/jaapbu...

Summary card for webinar on 6 Nov., at 10:00 a.m. BRT. Speakers are: André Dias (MME) Dan Murphy (Catalyst) Elena Villanueva (TTA Energy) Isabel Beltrán (GEAPP) Rodolfo Gomes (IEI Brasil) Alejandro Hernandez (RAP) Luiz G S de Oliveira (RAP) Bibiana Saenz (RAP)

Prefer to learn about these strategies for universal electricity access directly from Brazilian and RAP experts?

Join our webinar on 6 November bit.ly/47td2hg

Bridging the last mile: Successful strategies for universal electricity access Bridging the last mile: Successful strategies for universal electricity access Access to electricity is a vital indicator of wellbeing and standard of living. Governments in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico have made remarkable RAP offers recommendations to help Brazil achiev...

With the right incentives, innovation and collaboration, achieving access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all inhabitants of Brazil and similar regions is within reach.

Check out the report: bit.ly/4nsfZEA