Energy Bills and the Price Cap news, page 12
- September 2023
Consumer groups warn this winter will be as brutal as the last with no repeat of crisis support
Consumer groups told MPs that more than a million vulnerable households missed energy crisis support last winter, and warned this winter will be as brutal with no repeat of the schemes.
NEA tells MPs over a million vulnerable households missed energy crisis support
National Energy Action told MPs that more than a million vulnerable households missed energy crisis support last winter, with £444 million of earmarked funding left unspent by the energy department.
CES and CESS amend bill formats
Ofgem has closed its investigation into Community Energy Scheme UK and Community Energy Scheme Stoke after the firms completed agreed changes to bills, contracts and exit rights.
Commons committee backs social tariff
The House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee backed a social tariff for specific groups of consumers in September 2023, as part of a long-running campaign for energy tariff reform.
Organisations line up to back energy tariff reform
More than 140 charities, organisations and MPs have signed an open letter urging the Prime Minister to consult on and deliver an energy social tariff before winter.
Warm This Winter report card on Government energy bills progress published
A Warm This Winter report card on the Government's progress against eight measures to tackle the energy bills crisis found no progress on half of them and one going backwards.
- August 2023
ECIU analysis finds inefficient homes to pay around £720 more under October 2023 price cap
ECIU analysis published on 25 August 2023 finds homes rated EPC band F will pay £721 more a year than band C homes under Ofgem's October 2023 price cap of £1,923.
Ofgem publishes updated default tariff price cap levels for 1 October to 31 December 2023
Ofgem has set the default tariff price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2023 at £1,923 for a typical dual fuel direct debit household, a fall of £151 or 7 per cent.
Prepayment meter regional rates for October to December 2023 added
The government added Energy Price Guarantee regional unit rates and standing charges for prepayment meters covering October to December 2023 to its published rates page.
Citizens Advice publishes Winter Warning report calling for targeted energy bill support
Citizens Advice has published a Winter Warning report arguing that millions of households face a winter as bad as or worse than last year and calling for targeted energy bill support.
Citizens Advice warns of record energy debt help requests before winter
Citizens Advice reports record demand for energy debt help before winter, with 7.8 million people borrowing to pay energy bills in the first half of 2023 and a forecast 26% rise in debt cases by year end.
Which? warns 13 million households not heating homes when cold due to bill fears
Which? has estimated that 13 million UK households did not heat their homes when it was cold last winter, and has repeated its call for a targeted social tariff before the October price cap is set.
Emergency credit increased from £1 to £3
Power NI raised the emergency credit available on its Keypad prepayment meters in Northern Ireland from £1 to £3 on 1 August 2023, giving households a larger buffer before supply is cut off.
Government directs Ofgem to end PPM premium
In August 2023 the Government directed Ofgem to permanently end the premium paid by prepayment meter customers, with a Call for Evidence on levelling the standing charge.
Ofgem announces cap fall to £1,923 for Q4 2023
Ofgem set the default tariff cap for October to December 2023 at £1,923 for a typical dual fuel household, down from £2,074, though standing charges rose and the Energy Bills Support Scheme has ended.
Ofgem set out options to levelise prices across payment methods
Ofgem has set out options for levelling the standing charges paid by prepayment meter customers with those paid by other households, as part of a wider review of debt-related costs in the price cap.
- July 2023
NEA and consumer groups call on Government to publish social tariff consultation
National Energy Action, Energy UK, Citizens Advice, Fair By Design and MoneySavingExpert have urged the Government to publish its planned consultation on a social tariff and other bill support before Parliament returns in September.
Citizens Advice published its response to Ofgem's statutory consultation on the supplier profit margin allowance
Citizens Advice has opposed Ofgem's plan to raise the profit margin allowance inside the retail price cap, saying the proposal is not justified by evidence and would not serve consumers.
Energy Bills Support Scheme ends
The Energy Bills Support Scheme has ended, removing support that held the average bill 16 per cent below the Energy Price Guarantee rate, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition has said.
Fixed tariff availability doubles in July 2023
The number of fixed energy tariffs newly available on the UK market doubled in July 2023, from five in early 2023 to ten, according to the first Warm This Winter Tariff Watch report.
Government appears to rule out social tariff consultation
The Government appeared in July 2023 to rule out a consultation on a social tariff for energy, despite having said it intended to consult on options that summer.
Government reduces Energy Price Guarantee extra support to zero
The government cut the extra support paid through the Energy Price Guarantee to zero on 1 July 2023, ending a 3.77p per unit discount for Power NI customers and adding an estimated 14p a day to bills.
Government rejects Energy Bill amendments on forced PPM transfers
The Government has rejected backbench amendments to the Energy Bill that would have given it power to ban forced transfers of households onto prepayment meters, with further debate postponed to the autumn.
Intelligent Octopus Flux launched
Octopus Energy launched Intelligent Octopus Flux in July 2023, a bundled import and export tariff for homes with solar panels and a qualifying battery, with matching peak rates.
Ofgem reduces typical domestic consumption values used in price caps
Ofgem has cut the typical domestic consumption values used to calculate price cap bills, reducing assumed annual gas use by 17 per cent and electricity use by 7 per cent.
Prepayment meter customers no longer face the highest energy costs
Ofgem and Citizens Advice research finds prepayment meter customers have not faced the highest energy costs since July 2023, with satisfaction reaching a record 81% in January 2025.
Prepayment meter premium ended
From 1 July 2023 households on prepayment meters are no longer charged more for their energy than direct debit customers, ending a long-standing price premium.
Prepayment price penalty ends for prepayment customers
Legislation effective 1 July 2023 ends the prepayment price penalty, so households on prepayment meters should no longer pay more than Direct Debit customers, saving an estimated £45 a year on average.
Price cap becomes default price as it drops below Energy Price Guarantee level
The price cap became the default price for Great Britain on 1 July 2023 after it fell below the Energy Price Guarantee, which had held the average household bill at £2,500.
Price cap fell below EPG levels
The July 2023 price cap fell to £1,976, below the Energy Price Guarantee level, so household bills fell for the first time in almost three years and the guarantee stopped being a cost to government.