Energy Suppliers News: page 10
- June 2023
Ofgem consults on new SLC requirements for involuntary PPM installations
Ofgem has opened a statutory consultation on licence changes that would put its Involuntary Prepayment Meter Code of Practice into the supply licence, with responses due by 26 July 2023.
Shell announces exit from UK domestic energy market
Shell announced in summer 2023 that it would sell its UK domestic energy business to Octopus and leave the household supply market, a process completed on 1 December 2023.
- May 2023
Teneo reports estimated Octopus repayment of £2.8 billion
Teneo, the special administrator for Bulb Energy, reported on 25 May 2023 that Octopus Energy is estimated to owe the government £2.8 billion after buying the failed supplier.
Citizens Advice responds to Ofgem consultation on Severe Weather Compensation amendments
Citizens Advice has backed Ofgem's proposed changes to severe weather compensation rules for power cuts, but says the draft should go further on who is protected and how payments are made.
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.
- April 2023
Citizens Advice published its application to intervene in the RIIO-ED2 appeal
Citizens Advice has applied to intervene in a Competition and Markets Authority appeal by Northern Powergrid over the RIIO-ED2 energy licence modification, arguing the appeal would raise consumer bills without improving service.
New energy supplier obligation to start from April 2023
Energy suppliers will be obliged from April 2023 to help customers cut bills under legislation announced in the Growth Plan, worth £1 billion over three years.
Quarterly change to Flexi variable costs from 1 April 2023
ScottishPower has published the Flexi variable cost breakdown applying from 1 April 2023, showing a sharp fall in electricity distribution standing charges and a new transmission standing charge.
- March 2023
Government wholesale cost support for Bulb ends
Government funding of Bulb's wholesale energy costs under its Special Administration Regime ended on 31 March 2023, with the taxpayer bill estimated at £3.02 billion.
Which? publishes response to BEIS carbon content transparency consultation
Which? has told BEIS that green and renewable tariffs need standardised definitions, mandated sourcing information and a framework that covers electric vehicle charging and green gas.
Power NI announces underlying unit price decrease offset by reduced EPG support
Power NI has cut its underlying residential electricity unit price by 6.61p per unit, but a larger reduction in Energy Price Guarantee support means bills rise 14 per cent from 1 April 2023.
Citizens Advice publishes report recommending new energy bill support framework
Citizens Advice has published a report calling for the current system of energy bill support to be replaced by a state-determined social tariff funded by general taxation, with a new framework in place by spring 2024.
Which? publishes annual energy supplier ratings with Octopus Energy top and average customer scores falling
Which? has published its annual energy supplier survey, with Octopus Energy top on 78 per cent and the average customer score falling to 54 per cent from 59 per cent a year earlier.
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.
OVO Energy launches Kaluza-powered Charge Anytime EV charging plan
OVO Energy has launched Charge Anytime, a smart charging add-on giving eligible customers a flat 10p per kWh rate for electric vehicle charging, separate from their household electricity.
EDF raised SEG Export Variable rate from 1.5p to 3p per kWh
EDF raised the rate on its no-strings SEG Export Variable tariff from 1.5p to 3p per kWh in March 2023, a rate that has since stayed unchanged while average export prices moved higher.
Judicial review judgment on Bulb sale published
The High Court judgment on the Bulb Energy special administration sale process was published at the end of March 2023, with the transaction completed on 20 December 2022.
Only three suppliers exited the market in SY13
Ofgem's annual Feed-in Tariffs report shows supplier exits fell from 27 in Scheme Year 12 to three in Scheme Year 13, as market stability returned and scheme costs rose to £1.73 billion.
Smart Pay Energy withdrew from the SEG during Year 3
Ofgem's SEG annual report records that Smart Pay Energy left the scheme part way through Year 3 against policy, and will be added to the Supplier Performance Report.
The Times reveals forced prepayment installations by British Gas subcontractor
The Times reported that a British Gas subcontractor used brutal methods to force-fit prepayment meters in vulnerable customers' homes, prompting suppliers to halt the practice.
- February 2023
Call for evidence on prepayment rules launched
Ofgem opened a call for evidence on prepayment meter rules on 21 February 2023, the first step in a process that ended with new licence conditions taking effect on 8 November 2023.
Citizens Advice responds to Ofgem's outline of next steps on forced prepayment meter installations
Citizens Advice has welcomed Ofgem repeating its call for suppliers to check whether customers should be moved off prepayment meters, warning that the regulator and government must act if progress stalls.
Ofgem outlines next steps on forced prepayment meter installations
Ofgem has set out the terms of its British Gas investigation and the scope of a market-wide prepayment meter review, and asked suppliers to reverse incorrect installations during the current pause.
ScottishPower launched SMART GEN and SMART GEN + tariffs
ScottishPower launched SMART GEN and SMART GEN + export tariffs on 16 February 2023, with Ofgem later recording SMART GEN as the highest unbundled Smart Export Guarantee rate of SEG Year 3.
Which? makes supplier practices assessment public and counts it in overall scores
Which? has published its behind-the-scenes assessment of energy supplier practices for the first time and folded the results into each company's overall score for 2023.
E.On rated severe weaknesses and issued Provisional Order
Ofgem has rated E.On as having severe weaknesses in customer service and issued a Provisional Order requiring it to cut call wait times and abandoned call rates and report weekly.
Ofgem announces industry-wide investigation into prepayment meter installations
Ofgem has opened an industry-wide investigation into the rapid growth in prepayment meter installations and warned suppliers that forced installations are unacceptable, following reports of debt agents entering homes.
Ofgem completes Market Compliance Review of suppliers' customer service and complaints handling
Ofgem has rated seventeen energy suppliers on customer service and complaints handling, placing none in its top category and issuing a Provisional Order to E.On over severe weaknesses.
British Gas launches heat pump installation price offer
British Gas has said it will cap the starting price of heat pump installation at £2,999, a figure that excludes the heat pump itself and will not apply to every home.
Energy firms agree voluntary pause on forced PPM installations
Energy suppliers agreed a voluntary pause on forced prepayment meter installations in early 2023, after reporting on British Gas, but campaigners said the commitment did not go far enough.