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Bringing down bills: what are the options to make electricity cheaper in a crisis?

Nesta at the Labour Party Conference

In A sustainable future

28 Sep 2026 15:30 – 16:30

Nesta's pod, Liverpool Experience Campus (secure zone)

A renewed energy crisis has put household energy bills back at the top of the political agenda – and raised urgent questions about what the UK government can do when prices spiral. While targeted financial support has a role to play, the choices made during a crisis can either entrench reliance on fossil fuels or accelerate the shift away from them.

Join Nesta’s sustainable future mission at the Labour Party Conference to explore the full range of levers available to make electricity cheaper in the short term and over the long term.

The panel will examine the trade-offs involved, what a crisis response that also supports the clean energy transition might look like and how decisions made now could shape the resilience of household energy bills for years to come. Our expert panel will be chaired by Ravi Gurumurthy, chief executive at Nesta and includes Madeleine Gabriel, director of Nesta’s a sustainable future mission, and Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus Energy. Our speakers will bring together perspectives from policy, industry and consumer advocacy to discuss the options on the table and what effective action could look like.

This event will take place on Monday 28 September from 15:30-16:30 BST in Nesta’s pod at the Liverpool Experience Campus (secure zone). Add to your calendar.

Ravi Gurumurthy

Ravi Gurumurthy is group chief executive officer, joining Nesta as chief executive in December 2019. Ravi is the chief executive of Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation. Nesta’s mission is to design, test and scale solutions to society's biggest challenges, from sustainability and health to educational inequality. Ravi also leads the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), often known as the ‘Nudge Unit’. BIT has grown from a small team in No 10 Downing Street to a 250-person global social purpose consultancy and a subsidiary of Nesta. Prior to joining Nesta, Ravi co-founded and led the Airbel Innovation Lab at the International Rescue Committee. He was responsible for designing new products and services for people affected by crises in over 40 countries. Ravi worked in the UK government from 1999 to 2013. He was an adviser and speechwriter to Foreign Secretary David Miliband, leading the creation of Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004, and the world’s first legally binding climate legislation. Ravi has held a number of non-executive roles, and is currently NED for NHS England, and lead NED for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

Madeleine Gabriel

Madeleine leads Nesta’s mission to significantly cut carbon emissions from UK homes by 2030. Her team works with national, devolved and local governments, consumers and industry to develop, test and scale up ideas, policies and initiatives that can speed up the transition to greener homes. Madeleine previously led Nesta’s work on inclusive innovation, researching ways to create an equitable, innovation-led economy in the UK. She has published widely on innovation practices that promote sustainability and social impact. Madeleine has also worked as a consultant evaluating local and national government programmes across a wide range of policy areas, including public health, housing, learning and skills and local economic development.

Greg Jackson

Greg Jackson is the founder of Octopus Energy Group, the global energy and technology company driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Launched in 2016, the Group now serves 7.2 million customers across 18 countries, and operates a £6bn portfolio of renewable energy assets across Europe. Octopus drives the tech-enabled green energy transition, innovating relentlessly to make energy better for consumers and the planet. Kraken, Octopus’s proprietary green tech platform, is at the heart of the Group’s growth and is now contracted to serve over 40 million accounts across the globe, with further 10 million to follow soon. Octopus has attracted over $2.3 billion worth of funding from international energy companies, large pension funds and global investors, and has valued the company at around $8 billion. Greg is a serial tech entrepreneur and has built and sold a number of successful businesses before starting Octopus. He is an angel investor in a wide range of start-ups, and is a key thought leader in the UK on issues related to energy transition, energy costs and innovation.

28 Sep 2026 15:30 – 16:30

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Bringing down bills: what are the options to make electricity cheaper in a crisis?

About Nesta

Bringing down bills: what are the options to make electricity cheaper in a crisis?