Energy Bills and the Price Cap News: page 14
- March 2023
Government launches online portal for alternative fuel payment
The government has opened an online portal for households that heat with oil to claim the £200 alternative fuel payment, with applications accepted until 31 May 2023.
Which? responds to delayed Energy Bill Support Scheme payments for some Shell customers
Which? has said some Shell Energy customers will have part of their Energy Bill Support Scheme payments delayed until the Spring, and called on the supplier to act quickly.
Almost 1.2m customers disconnected from energy supply
Ofgem figures show almost 1.2 million customers were disconnected from their energy supply in the first three months of 2023, with average household energy debt above £1,200 on electricity.
Chancellor announces Energy Price Guarantee
The Chancellor announced the Energy Price Guarantee in March 2023 to address higher prepayment costs, a scheme later replaced by prepayment levelisation from April 2024.
Chancellor introduces Energy Price Guarantee
The Retail Energy Code Company has updated the methodology behind the payment method levelisation scheme that replaced the Energy Price Guarantee's prepayment unit rate discount from April 2024.
CIPHE responds to spring statement on energy bill support
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has welcomed the three month extension of the energy price guarantee and the removal of the prepayment meter penalty, but says more is needed on fuel poverty.
Energy Bill Support Scheme ends
The Energy Bill Support Scheme, which gave every household in Great Britain a £400 discount on energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023, ended in March 2023 with no replacement announced.
Energy companies agree to stop force-fitting prepayment meters in vulnerable customers' homes
All UK energy suppliers have told the government they will stop force-fitting prepayment meters in vulnerable customers' homes, while magistrates have temporarily halted warrant approvals.
Energy Price Guarantee to remain at £2,500 until July
The Spring Budget kept the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for a typical household until July 2023 instead of raising it to £3,000, but the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme ended in April.
UK government announces plan to equalise prepayment and Direct Debit tariff costs
The UK government said in March 2023 that it would work to equalise the cost of prepayment and Direct Debit tariffs, addressing a gap in what households pay for the same energy.
Octopus Flux tariff launched
Octopus Flux, a variable import and export tariff for homes with solar panels and a battery, has been available since March 2023 and changes every three months with Ofgem's price cap.
Ovo and SSE launch fixed tariffs estimated to yield suppliers around £484 and £469 profit per customer
Analysis by Future Energy Associates estimates that two new one year fixed tariffs from Ovo and SSE will earn suppliers £484 and £469 profit per customer while costing households more than the price cap.
Spring Budget announces alignment of direct debit and pre-payment meter charges
The Spring Budget confirmed that charges for comparable direct debit and pre-payment meter customers would be aligned, ending the premium pre-payment customers pay for their energy.
- February 2023
Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme application window closes
The Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme stopped taking applications on 28 February 2023, closing a £200 payment that was open to households regardless of how they paid for energy.
Government announces online portal for Alternative Fuel Payment claims
Heating oil customers who missed the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment through their electricity account will be able to claim it through a government online portal running by 6 March 2023.
Ofgem to announce April to June price cap level
Ofgem will set the April to June price cap on February 27th, with suppliers writing to households within days, as Energy UK urges the government to hold the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500.
Ofgem sets price cap at £3,280 for April to June 2023
Ofgem has set the energy price cap for 1 April to 30 June 2023 at £3,280 for a typical dual fuel direct debit household, down from £4,279, but the Energy Price Guarantee rises to £3,000.
Online portal opens for £600 EBSS alternative funding applications in Northern Ireland
The UK government has opened an online portal and telephone helpline so more than 28,000 Northern Ireland households without a direct electricity supplier can apply for £600 energy bill support.
Which? reports 1.42 million energy support vouchers unclaimed
Government data published on 14 February 2023 shows 1.42 million Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers issued to prepayment meter customers in October and November 2022 were never redeemed.
Citizens Advice responds to DESNZ announcement on forced prepayment meter installations
Citizens Advice has welcomed a government announcement on forced prepayment meter installations but says suppliers must review whether prepayment is safe and that protection should cover remote switching of smart meters.
Energy Security Secretary claims all suppliers committed to ending forced prepayment meter installations
Grant Shapps has claimed all energy suppliers have committed to ending forced prepayment meter installations in vulnerable customers' homes, a move the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action calls right but insufficient.
Sir Robert Neill MP calls for inquiry into pre-payment meter scandal in House of Commons
Sir Robert Neill MP has told the House of Commons that the pre-payment meter scandal shows a flawed court process and requires an inquiry into those representing suppliers and Ofgem.
Fuel poverty charity calls for ban on forced prepayment meter installations
National Energy Action has called for a temporary ban on forced prepayment meter installations after reports that suppliers used warrants to enter customers' homes and fit the devices.
Campaign launched to keep Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500
Charities, energy trade body Energy UK and more than 70 organisations have backed Martin Lewis's call to postpone the rise in the Energy Price Guarantee from £2,500 to £3,000 on 1 April 2023.
Forced prepayment meter installations suspended
Forced prepayment meter installations have been suspended after an investigation into British Gas practices, with Consumer Scotland welcoming the pause as breathing space for new protections.
Ofgem opens Call for Input on proposed TDCV updates
Ofgem has opened a Call for Input on proposed updates to the gas and electricity Typical Domestic Consumption Values and the Economy 7 peak and off-peak split, with comments due by 27 March 2023.
Ofgem opens Call for Input on review of additional wholesale allowances in the price cap
Ofgem has opened a Call for Input on whether to review the shaping, imbalance and transaction cost allowances inside the energy price cap, with responses due by 1 March 2023.
Suppliers agree to stop force-fitting prepayment meters without consent
Energy suppliers agreed in February 2023 to stop force-fitting prepayment meters and switching smart meters to prepayment mode without consent, a voluntary pause that later gave way to licence conditions.
Times investigation exposes forced prepayment meter practices of major suppliers including British Gas
An undercover Times investigation published on 1 February 2023 exposed forced prepayment meter practices at major suppliers including British Gas, triggering a voluntary industry pause and an ongoing Ofgem investigation.
- January 2023
Compensation window closes for forced prepayment meter installations
The window for compensation over forced prepayment meter installations closed on 31 January 2023, covering moves made between 1 January 2022 and that date.