Powering Homes News: page 104
- April 2022
WHD rebate value increases to £150 for SY12
Ofgem's annual report confirms the Warm Home Discount rebate rose from £140 to £150 for scheme year 12, with around 750,000 more households supported and a lower supplier participation threshold.
WHD splits into separate England & Wales and Scotland schemes for SY12
The Warm Home Discount split into separate England and Wales and Scotland schemes for 2022-23, with a new Core Group 2 in England and Wales and the rebate rising from £140 to £150.
Grants and SchemesScotland, Wales and Northern IrelandHeat Pumps
Zero rate for air source heat pumps begins in GB with eligibility conditions removed
Air source heat pumps became zero rated for VAT in Great Britain on 1 April 2022, with the eligibility conditions that previously restricted the relief removed permanently.
- March 2022
Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers systems commissioned on or after 1 April 2022
Ofgem has confirmed that heat pumps and biomass systems commissioned on or after 1 April 2022 qualify for Boiler Upgrade Scheme support, with installer accounts opening on 11 April and applications from 23 May.
British Gas adds £2 million to Support Fund, taking it to £6 million
British Gas Energy has added £2 million to its Support Fund, taking it to £6 million, to help customers struggling to pay energy bills as living costs and inflation rise.
Energy SuppliersGrants and SchemesEnergy Bills and the Price Cap
Cold Weather Payment scheme period ends
The Cold Weather Payment scheme closed for the winter on 31 March 2022, with £25 paid for each seven-day period of very cold weather recorded in a household's area.
Deadline for completion of Green Homes Grant work
The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme closed to new applicants in 2021, and all insulation and low carbon heating work funded through it had to be finished by 31 March 2022.
Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive closes
The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive closed to new applicants on 31 March 2022, though accreditations have continued since, mainly through transfer of ownership applications.
DWP benefits data matching facility closes for ECO3 eligibility matching
The Department for Work and Pensions benefits data matching facility used to check household eligibility under the Energy Company Obligation closes on 31 March 2022, with reopening unlikely before ECO4.
ECO3 scheme closes with 16 of 26 obligated suppliers still operating
Ofgem's final determination for the Energy Company Obligation 3 scheme shows ten of 26 obligated suppliers left the market during its run, leaving a £135 million shortfall covered by others.
Four SEG licensees exited the market due to insolvency during SEG Y2
Ofgem's second Smart Export Guarantee annual report shows four licensed suppliers left the electricity market through insolvency during 2021-22, so no data was received from them.
Proposed backstop date for all Scottish private rented dwellings to reach EPC of E
Scottish Government proposals would require every private rented home in Scotland to reach EPC band E by 31 March 2022, with a higher D standard proposed from 2022 and by 2025.
Rules and RegulationInsulation and GlazingScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
SSEN announces £10m upgrade to Islay electricity network
SSEN Distribution has confirmed a £10m project to upgrade the electricity network on Islay, with construction starting in mid-April and work due to last 12 months.
Supplier websites and apps fail under meter reading demand
British Gas, EDF, Eon and Octopus reported website and app problems on 31 March 2022 as households rushed to submit meter readings before the energy price cap rose the next day.
Warm Home Discount payments due by end of March 2022
Households that qualified for the winter 2021/2022 Warm Home Discount were due to receive their one-off payment by 31st March 2022, with applications for that year now closed.
Welsh Government sets out cost of living support package
The Welsh Government has set out more than £380 million of cost of living support, including a £150 payment to households in council tax bands A to D, running from April to September 2022.
Growatt battery-ready inverter MOD 3-10KTL3-XH series now available in Europe
Growatt has announced European availability of the MOD 3-10KTL3-XH battery-ready inverter and its ARK XH battery system, with Australia named as a future market.
Single unit properties become ineligible for Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme
The government has ended Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme support for single unit properties such as bungalows, detached, semi-detached and terraced housing from April 2022, replacing it with grants aimed at renters, flat owners and landlords.
Government releases EV infrastructure strategy
The Government has released an electric vehicle infrastructure strategy that aims to build charging provision ahead of need, a plan the motor industry trade body says points in the right direction.
Shell UK announces £20 to 25 billion energy sector investment over the next decade
Shell UK will invest between £20 billion and £25 billion in the UK energy sector over the next decade, with more than 75% of the funding directed at low carbon technologies including electric mobility.
SSEN publishes first DSO Action Plan
SSEN Distribution has published its first DSO Action Plan, covering flexibility products, markets and connections over an initial two-year period, with £73m of investment planned to 2028.
Additional Household Support Fund funding provided
The Chancellor added £500 million to the Household Support Fund from April 2022, doubling its total to £1 billion, alongside a five-year VAT cut on home energy saving materials.
ECO4 commenced operation in April 2022 with ECO4 Order in force from July 2022
ECO3 closed at the end of March 2022 and ECO4 began in April 2022, though the ECO4 Order did not come into force until July, with a VAT zero rate on energy saving materials starting the same month.
Fuel duty cut took effect UK-wide
The government cut petrol and diesel duty by 5p per litre for 12 months from 6pm on 23 March 2022, alongside a five-year VAT cut to 0% on home energy saving materials.
The Value Added Tax (Installation of Energy-Saving Materials) Order 2022 was signed
The Value Added Tax (Installation of Energy-Saving Materials) Order 2022 was signed by two Treasury Lords Commissioners at 11.20 a.m. on 23rd March 2022.
E3G publishes ten facts on home energy security ahead of expected UK energy security strategy
E3G has published ten facts on home energy security, covering gas-driven bill rises, cuts to insulation programmes and the case for a national retrofit programme, ahead of an expected UK energy security strategy.
Welsh Government called for cost of living action in the Spring Statement
The Welsh Government has written to the Chancellor before the Spring Statement, asking for a full crisis response to the cost of living emergency and setting out measures it says would help households pay bills.
E3G publishes briefing on replacing Russian gas at speed
E3G has published a briefing arguing that energy efficiency, clean heat and renewables could by 2025 replace four times the gas the UK imports from Russia, faster than new oil and gas fields can be built.
JRF publishes energy price analysis of March 2022 price cap
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published analysis of the March 2022 price cap finding low-income households face sharply higher energy costs even after the support package announced in February.
Solar Energy UK and industry groups write to Chancellor urging 0% VAT on domestic renewables
Solar Energy UK and a group of industry and environmental bodies have written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak asking him to cut VAT on domestic renewable and energy efficiency technologies to 0% in the Spring Statement.