Speaking to Scottish business leaders, the prime minister was also upbeat on the subject of the economy.
The prime minister has confirmed that householders will not be given a payment this winter to help them meet their fuel bills.
Terming the idea a "gimmick", Gordon Brown said that the government was instead focussing on improving energy efficiency in homes in order to bring customer costs down. Previously, it had been strongly rumoured that a new fuel payment scheme of £50 or £100 per person was going to be unveiled by ministers.
Fuel prices have been much in the news of late, with most of Britain's large gas and electricity providers imposing double-digit price rises on their general tariffs due to high wholesale energy costs. British Gas, the UK's largest supplier, even put up its gas prices by 35 percent last month.
Speaking to the Scottish Confederation of British Industry, Mr Brown commented: "[We should] address the problems caused by the impact of world oil prices on gas and electricity bills.
"Not short-term gimmicks or giveaways - but firm steps towards making every home in Britain more energy-efficient, thus reducing bills not just temporarily, but permanently."
The prime minister also said that he remained "cautiously optimistic" about the UK's economy, despite the International Monetary Fund's recent prediction that it would enter recession conditions soon. Responding, shadow chancellor George Osborne said that Mr Brown was "in denial" about the situation, the BBC reports.
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