Energy Bills and the Price Cap News: page 12
- July 2023
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.
- June 2023
EBSS voucher redemption deadline
The deadline for redeeming Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers passed at 11.59pm on 30 June 2023, with official data showing high levels of unclaimed payments in some of the poorest constituencies.
Energy Price Guarantee scheme closed
The Energy Price Guarantee, which discounted unit rates for every household with a domestic gas or electricity contract, closed on 30 June 2023 after nine months of operation.
Final date to activate EBSS prepayment vouchers
Prepayment meter customers have until 30 June 2023 to activate Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers, including replacement vouchers issued after an earlier one expired.
Price cap falls below the Energy Price Guarantee level
Ofgem's price cap fell below the government's Energy Price Guarantee on 1 July 2023, so the cap once again sets maximum prices for direct debit and standard credit customers.
Parliamentary answer reports Alternative Fuel Payment delivery figures
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has told Parliament that the Alternative Fuel Payment delivered £200 to around 2 million off-gas-grid households, with over 85% paid automatically in February.
Energy Price Guarantee ended
The Energy Price Guarantee kept household gas and electricity prices constant from October 2022 until June 2023, after which Ofgem's price cap again set the maximum prices suppliers could charge.
Energy Price Guarantee extended at the same level to the end of June 2023
The Energy Price Guarantee was extended at the same level for three months from April to the end of June 2023, keeping a typical Great Britain household bill at around £2,500 a year.
Ofgem consults on Code to prevent involuntary PPM installations for vulnerable consumers
Ofgem has opened a statutory consultation on making its Involuntary Prepayment Meter Code of Practice binding licence conditions, with the aim of having the protections in place for winter 2023/24.
- May 2023
EBSS alternative funding scheme closes to new applications
The Energy Bills Support Scheme alternative funding route, which paid £600 to households in Northern Ireland without a direct electricity supplier relationship, closed to new applications on 31 May 2023.
Prepayment meter regional rates for July to September 2023 added
The government has added Energy Price Guarantee regional unit rates for prepayment meters covering July to September 2023 to its published rates page.
Next quarterly price cap update due 25 May 2023
Ofgem has confirmed that its next quarterly update to the energy price cap will be published on 25 May 2023, setting the level that applies from 1 July.
Ofgem sets July to September price cap at £2,074
Ofgem has set the default tariff price cap for 1 July to 30 September 2023 at £2,074 a year for a typical dual fuel direct debit household, down from £3,280.
Coalition submits joint written evidence to Energy Bill Public Bill Committee
The Warm This Winter coalition has told the Energy Bill Public Bill Committee that the Bill should be amended to cut bills and speed up net zero, in written evidence published on 24 May 2023.
Over 80 per cent of Energy Bill Support Scheme prepayment vouchers redeemed
Which? says over 80 per cent of Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers for traditional prepayment meter customers have been redeemed, and calls for the remaining households to be reached before 30 June 2023.
NEA responds to Ofgem call for input on debt-related costs allowance in price cap
National Energy Action has published its response to Ofgem's call for input on the allowance for debt-related costs within the energy price cap, addressing over-allocation, cost levelisation and consumer outcomes.
Government responds to petition on unmetered tariff for elderly and disabled
The Government told petitioners on 11 May 2023 that it intends to consult on options for consumer energy protection in summer 2023, for measures applying from April 2024.
British Gas Energy Trust Individual and Family fund opens for applications
The British Gas Energy Trust reopened its Individual and Family fund on 2 May 2023, offering grants of up to £2,000 to clear energy arrears for households in England, Scotland and Wales.
Energy firms holding £280m of unclaimed Energy Bills Support Scheme payments
More than four million Energy Bills Support Scheme payments worth almost £280 million were still to be made or redeemed for October 2022 to February 2023, figures reported in the Mail on Sunday show.
New energy price cap set at £2,074, below the price guarantee level
Ofgem has confirmed a new energy price cap of £2,074 for an average annual bill, below the £2,500 level of the Energy Price Guarantee, cutting household costs by around £420.
Ofgem signals holistic review of operating cost allowances
Ofgem has concluded its first full review of the operating cost and debt allowances inside the energy price cap, cutting the total allowance by an average of £8 per customer.
Which? publishes appliance running costs research
Which? research published on 1 May 2023 found the annual running cost of a typical set of household appliances rose 58 per cent between October 2021 and April 2023, from £283 to £447.
Which? publishes principles for clear energy customer communications
Which? has published a policy report setting out five principles for energy suppliers to make billing and direct debit communications clearer, based on a survey of 2,082 UK adults.
- April 2023
Which? responds to news that a fifth of EBSS prepayment vouchers remain unredeemed
Which? has said a fifth of Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers for traditional prepayment meter customers remain unredeemed, and called for action in the scheme's final weeks.
Energy Bill passes latest House of Lords stage with hydrogen levy amendment
The House of Lords has backed an amendment stopping energy firms passing hydrogen development costs to bill payers, but rejected a ban on forced entry to convert homes to hydrogen.
All British domestic suppliers sign updated Code of Practice on involuntary prepayment meter installations
Ofgem has published an updated voluntary Code of Practice on involuntary prepayment meter installations, signed by all British domestic suppliers, with tougher oversight and new protections for high-risk households.