Powering Homes news, page 107
- March 2022
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.
Aereco introduces the Heatpex Aria range
Aereco has announced the Heatpex Aria ventilation and heat recovery system, a semi-rigid ducting range for single-family houses that the company says meets the ATC1 airtightness class.
E3G publishes nine-step home energy security plan
E3G has published a nine-step demand-side plan it says would cut Russian gas imports by 80 per cent this year and save households an average of £150.
British Gas completes first air source heat pump installation in Devon
British Gas has completed its first air source heat pump installation for a household customer, at a home in Ivybridge, Devon, fitted through its partnership with Daikin.
geo and Vaillant white paper warns lack of appliance interoperability could cost billions in energy savings
A white paper from geo and Vaillant warns that without common standards for heat pumps, EV chargers and appliances, households could lose billions in energy savings by 2050.
CCC publishes independent assessment of the UK Heat and Buildings Strategy
The Climate Change Committee has published an independent assessment of the UK Government's Heat and Buildings Strategy, finding ambition but gaps in funding, policy detail and supply chain capacity.
European Commission announces REPowerEU plan to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels
The European Commission has set out REPowerEU, a plan to cut demand for Russian gas by two thirds before the end of 2022 through diversified supplies, faster renewables and less gas in heating.
ev.energy launches Smart Schedule feature in its app
ev.energy has added a Smart Schedule to its charging app, letting drivers set a different ready by time for each day of the week, with an Override Schedule for one-off charges.
Scottish Government publishes easy read version of Heat in Buildings Strategy
The Scottish Government has published an easy read version of its Heat in Buildings Strategy, restating the goal of zero emissions buildings and plans for a National Public Energy Agency.
Note added on Domestic RHI closure and Boiler Upgrade Scheme successor
A government page on the Renewable Heat Incentive was updated on 4 March 2022 with a note that the Domestic RHI scheme had closed and that the Boiler Upgrade Scheme would succeed it.
Rinnai announces Sensei N Series continuous flow hot water range for the UK
Rinnai UK has published details of its Sensei N Series, four continuous flow hot water heaters that it says are the first such units sold in the UK with stainless steel heat exchangers.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme launched
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme opened in March 2022, offering upfront grants towards heat pumps and some biomass boilers in England and Wales, administered by Ofgem and running to 2028.