{"podcast":{"title":"IFS Zooms In: The Economy","slug":"ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796","podcast_index_feed_id":638796,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/ifs-zooms-in-coronavirus-and-the-economy","website_url":"https://www.ifs.org.uk/podcast","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5ea004d9fbcc383829c71657/1611670691757-acb69bdbfa16df8b84d3357b86921a11.jpeg","author":"Institute for Fiscal Studies","episode_count":186,"summary":"Step beyond the headlines with in-depth, independent analysis from the experts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Hosted by IFS Director Helen Miller, this podcast brings you objective insights from the researchers shaping the debate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-12T04:19:55.371670+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796"},"episode":{"title":"Why is UK electricity so expensive?","slug":"why-is-uk-electricity-so-expensive","published_at":"2026-05-21T14:20:51+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796/why-is-uk-electricity-so-expensive","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796","url":"https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5ea004d9fbcc383829c71657/e/6a0c8ae84c1aeb32e70dd0f4/media.mp3","summary":"Conflict in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices in the UK. Even if the war ends soon, prices may not return to pre-war levels, and government could still face pressure to support households. But the problem runs deeper than the current crisis. Even before the latest shock, the UK had some of the highest electricity prices in the developed world. Why is electricity so expensive here? How much of the problem is down to gas? Are renewables making bills cheaper or more expensive? And if government wants to cut electricity prices, what can it actually do? Helen Miller is joined by Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford, and Peter Levell, Deputy Research Director at IFS, to discuss Britain’s energy mix, the costs of renewables, net zero targets, and how policy should respond to energy price shocks. Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Conflict in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices in the UK. Even if the war ends soon, prices may not return to pre-war levels, and government coul…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2970,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796/episodes/why-is-uk-electricity-so-expensive/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796/why-is-uk-electricity-so-expensive.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}