Dr Gill Owen was a passionate and pioneering researcher and advocate for energy fairness and efficiency in Australia and the United Kingdom. Gill highlighted the importance of energy affordability and energy savings for disadvantaged households through her work with National Energy Action, Sustainability First, Monash University, and Energy Consumers Australia.
As a board member of the competition and energy regulators in Australia and the UK, she was among the first to champion the interests of consumers and the disadvantaged. In these positions, she advised regulators and government on a wide range of issues, including energy efficiency, fuel poverty, economic regulation and sustainability in energy and water, smart meters, distributed energy and demand response. Dr Owen worked passionately for these causes until her death from an aggressive brain tumour in August 2016.
The Gill Owen Essay Prize and Gill Owen International Scholarship acknowledge her legacy and provides young people with an opportunity to build on her important research.
Dr Owen's publications
Journal and on-line articles
Choosing the power price you pay: voluntary time of use tariffs The Conversation, October 2013
Beating the peak without punishing the poor The Conversation, May 2013
Will smart meters benefit consumers? The Conversation, December 2012
Developing an effective demand side in the electricity market. Utility Business. Winter 2012 (article 3 in Regulatory Update series – invited expert columnist for 2012)
Effective consumer engagement essential to smart meter roll-out. Utility Business, Summer 2012 (article 2 in Regulatory Update series – invited expert columnist for 2012)
Time for a better deal for the fuel poor. Utility Business, Spring 2012 (article 1 in Regulatory Update series – invited expert columnist for 2012)
Smart meters costs and benefits. Energy World. June 2006.
When energy prices go up, how can Britain stop its poorest getting poorer? Parliamentary Brief, Vol 10, No 6, April 2006
Economic regulation and sustainability. Utilities Journal, August 2004.
Competitive pressures and social concerns. The Utilities Journal, November 1999.
How to afford green power. Parliamentary Brief, Vol 6 No 1, 1999
Academic articles, papers, books, chapters, conference papers
Sustainable development duties: new roles for economic regulators. Utilities Policy, Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2006, Pages 208–217.
The role of social policy in energy regulation. in The Regulatory Review 2000/01 Millennium edition. Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries, University of Bath, 2001. p 293-302
Energy efficiency and energy conservation: policies, programmes and their effectiveness. Energy and Environment, Vol 11 No 5, 2000.
Public purpose or private benefit? The politics of energy conservation. Manchester University Press, 1999. (book) ISBN 0719050251, 9780719050251
Who controls energy efficiency policy? A case study of the Energy Saving Trust. Energy Policy, Vol 25. No 11, 1997.
Energy policy, the government and the energy regulators: a case study of the Energy Saving Trust. Centre for Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia, 1995 (CSERGE Working Paper GEC 95-35)
Procedure over purpose. In “Whither Whitehall?” The Guardian, 1995 (Runner up in The Civil Service College/Guardian national essay competition).
Simple theories and complex policies: linking policy network theory and complexity theory.Paper presented at the 1995 Conference of the Political Studies Association.
Major reports
Project lessons from trial recruitment. Consumer Led Network Revolution Trials. Co-author with Rebekah Phillips and Judith Ward. Northern Powergrid, July 2013
Addressing peak demand: the opportunities and risks for vulnerable households. Monash Sustainability Institute, April 2013
GB Electricity Demand – Paper 1 – Context and baseline data. Co-author with Judith Ward and Maria Pooley. Sustainability First, October 2011
GB Electricity Demand – Paper 3a– What demand side services could customers offer. Industry electricity demand. Co-author with Judith Ward and Maria Pooley. Sustainability First, September 2012
GB Electricity Demand – Paper 3b– What demand side services could customers offer. Household electricity demand. Co-author with Judith Ward and Maria Pooley. Sustainability First, April 2012
GB Electricity Demand – Paper 4. What demand side services can provide value to the electricity sector. Co-author with Judith Ward and Maria Pooley. Sustainability First, June 2012
GB Electricity Demand Paper 5 - Electricity Demand Side and Wider Energy Policy Developments. Co-author with Judith Ward and Maria Pooley. Sustainability First, November 2012
GB Electricity Demand Paper 8- Electricity demand and household consumer issuesCo-author with Sharon Darcy and Judith Ward. Sustainability First, July 2013
It’s not just about the money: taking the hassle out of energy saving. Sustainability First, March 2011.
Review of the fuel poverty measure. A report for Ofgem. Sustainability First, March 2010.
Smart tariffs and household demand response for Great Britain. Co-author with Judith Ward. Sustainability First, March 2010
Smarter pre-payment – a new era for gas and electricity prepayment in Great Britain.Sustainability First, February 2010
Towards an equitable climate change policy for the UK. The costs and benefits for low income households of UK climate change policy. EAGA, 2008
The consumer implications of smart meters. Co-author with Judith Ward. National Consumer Council, July 2008.
Smart meters in Great Britain: the next steps. Co-author with Judith Ward. Sustainability First, July 2007
Smart meters: commercial, policy and regulatory drivers. Co-author with Judith Ward. Sustainability First, 2006
Evidence of steps towards a sustainable energy system in other countries. Report commissioned by the UK Sustainable Development Commission, November 2006.
Community engagement in energy through energy mutuals. Mutuo, 2004
Economic regulation and sustainability Sustainability First, 2004
From margins to mainstream: making social responsibility part of corporate culture. Joint author with Gareth Thomas MP. Mutuo, 2002
Energy efficiency: warm homes, low bills, cool planet. Consumers Association, 1999
A new world for energy services? Joint author with Michael King. Energy Saving Trust, 1997.
The potential for sustainable energy in the UK. Joint author with Clive Bates and Persephone Watkins. International Institute for Energy Conservation. 1997.
A market in efficiency: promoting energy savings through competition. Institute for Public Policy Research, 1996.
Energy services market: will competition be left to chance? Energy Saving Trust and Gas Consumers' Council, 1994.
From energy supply to energy services: the role of the Energy Saving Trust in transforming the energy market. Energy Saving Trust, 1994.
Conference and seminar papers
Equity and climate change – UK and EU experience. Paper written for the Climate Change Round Table held in Melbourne, March 2007
Impact of the EU ETS on domestic customers. Paper written for Ofgem seminar on the EU Emissions Trading scheme, February 2005.
Shareholders versus the environment: Can businesses be good corporate citizens and protect the bottom line? Paper written for The Chief Executives’ Forum run by the consultancy Indepen, 2000.
Competitive pressures and social concerns. The Utilities Journal, November 1999.
How to afford green power. Parliamentary Brief, Vol 6 No 1, 1999.