An energy expert has lashed the Coalition’s new policy favouring coal and gas over renewables, saying it won’t bring power costs down for households.

The Coalition’s energy policy to keep coal plants open and sideline renewables has been likened to fighting against gravity and reverting to the horse and buggy.

Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals counterpart David Littleproud outlined the policy on Sunday, focusing on affordability rather than emissions reductions.

Shifting away from renewable energy by keeping coal plants open and underwriting energy investments, including coal and gas, with taxpayer funds are key planks of the Coalition’s policy after dumping a net-zero emissions target.

The energy policy shift comes as latest polling shows Coalition supporters are jumping ship to One Nation and Labor and Ley’s popularity has plummeted to a record low.

Sussan Ley believes the Coalition policy will save money and cut emissions. Photo: AAP

“Our plan secures Australia’s energy future by putting affordability first,” Ley said in Sydney.

The Coalition still wanted to reduce carbon emissions but not at the expense of family or business budgets, she said.

Griffith University Associate Professor Joel Gilmore, an energy systems expert and member of the pro-renewables Climate Council, said net zero was the best way to reduce energy costs.

“It’s very clear that relying on coal and gas is going to be more expensive than renewables,” he said.

“To fight against net zero is fighting against gravity.”

Joel Gilmore says relying on coal and gas is going to be more expensive than renewables. Photo: AAP

Under the Coalition’s policy, interim emissions reduction targets are also opposed, along with Labor policies to bring down emissions.

They include a safeguard mechanism capping big polluters’ emissions and a scheme designed to encourage uptake of electric vehicles.

Gilmore said Australia was competing with many international markets for investment, so anything that damaged investment certainty was going to push up costs.

The Coalition’s support for coal was concerning in terms of damaging climate change impacts and was inconsistent with Australia’s commitments to the Paris climate accords, he said.

“It’s a nonsensical position to say we can turn back to coal any more than we would turn back to the horse and buggy,” Gilmore said.

Household instalment of solar roof panels and batteries and the purchase of electric vehicles were already showing the benefits of those technologies in cutting costs, he said.

Polling published by The Australian Financial Review on Sunday night found the Coalition’s primary vote fell five percentage points in a month to a poll-record low of 24 per cent. One Nation’s resurgence continues, with its support up four points to 18 per cent, while Labor also gained four points to 38 per cent.

The poll of 1011 voters also shows Ley with just 10 per cent of voters preferring her as prime minister, compared with 40 per cent for Anthony Albanese.

Sussan Ley’s popularity with voters is waning in comparison to Anthony Albanese. Photo: AAP

Albanese said the Coalition’s “uncertainty” on energy and climate policy would put increased pressure on power prices.

“If anyone thinks that there is certainty in the Coalition going forward, then they’re not paying any attention to the rabble and clown show that the Coalition have become when it comes to energy policy and climate policy,” he said in Melbourne.

At the last pwo federal elections, the Liberal Party has lost inner-city seats to independent candidates focused on climate action.

-AAP