Don't be put off by the complexity of Chris Huhne's electricity pricing regime.
The market signals he hopes to send are of huge significance for the energy industry, in deciding what, where and how much it builds to keep Britain's lights on for the next, well, perhaps half a century.
It's late to be sending these signals, when generating capacity is needed soon.
But at least there's agreement that action is required to build new plant.
But elsewhere in the energy sector, there's less harmony.
Today in snow-hit Aberdeen, captains of the energy industry Ian Marchant and Sir Ian Wood led the battalions of renewable power and the offshore hydrocarbon business in a conference designed to find common ground.
There are transferrable skills in oil and gas, of course, but there are also concerns that their interests in the North Sea may soon be clashing.
However, the over-arching energy issue to watch - bringing potential for conflict - is the oil price.
It's been creeping upwards, with Brent crude today above $91 per barrel.
There's a return to the talk of 'peak oil'.
Goldman Sachs has been warning of cruising past the $100 mark next year.
Last month, the International Energy Agency said the price of oil is on track to rise to around $110 a barrel in 2015.
Long-term, by which it means 2035, it's talking about $200 per barrel.
But for the here and now, one consequence is on the forecourt.
The AA points out today that petrol's hit a new high this week, at a British average above 122 pence.
Brian Madderson of RMI Petrol warns it will continue to creep upwards, and will then get a 3 pence per litre boost when VAT goes up to 20% from early January.
He says motorists are "striking back" by reducing their mileage, and after "a distressing year" in 2010, it's independent retailers in rural areas, and with lower turnover, who are most at risk.
As ever with energy, these trends are global.
There's a warning today from HSBC's asset management specialists about prices heading for $100 per barrel.
It argues that emerging economies with energy import needs, such as India and Turkey, could be hit particularly hard by rising costs.
But viewed from elsewhere, it's not all bad news.
Not if you're sitting on a lot of oil.
Rising prices should cut through the chill of Russia's winter, and Brazil is one of those big emerging markets with a lot of oil revenue on the horizon.
For explorers, the price rise means bigger rewards and ought to mean easier access to capital.
Today's year-end review of operations from Melrose Resources, a small-scale explorer based in Edinburgh, shows how it's tuning into those opportunities.
It hasn't had Cairn Energy's gushing success, but it's playing a similar game.
Melrose is now relying on the flow of cash from its producing assets in Egypt and Bulgaria, to go after further prospects, particularly in Egypt.
Its development plans for next year come to £34m, and that assumes an oil price at $75.
The rise in that price may add to the winter chill for many consumers.
But just as we're seeing with bulging estimates for the cost of the winter chill, rising costs for some can be balanced with opportunity for others.