Powering Homes News: page 107
- February 2022
Government announces £693 energy price cap rise and bill support measures
Citizens Advice has called the government's package of support for a £693 rise in the energy price cap strange, complicated and untargeted, as record numbers seek crisis help.
Energy Bills and the Price CapEnergy SuppliersRules and Regulation
MPs warn UK lacks clear plan to decarbonise heating and insulate homes
The Commons business, energy and industrial strategy committee has said the government's approach to decarbonising home heating lacks clear direction and that current policies are not on the scale required.
NEA calls UK Government energy crisis measures woefully inadequate
National Energy Action has called the UK Government's £200 rebate and Council Tax support woefully inadequate, saying prepayment households still face a gap of more than £500 a year.
OFGEM announces 54% energy price cap rise
Ofgem has confirmed a 54% rise in the energy price cap, taking average direct debit bills to as much as £1,971 from April and prepayment bills to £2,017.
SSEN restores all reported faults after Storms Malik and Corrie
SSEN has restored all reported customer faults after Storms Malik and Corrie, reconnecting more than 120,000 homes in the north of Scotland following gusts of over 90mph.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed by Chancellor
The Chancellor has confirmed the Warm Home Discount will rise to £150 and cover three million households from October, as Ofgem's price cap increase pushes average bills up by more than 54 per cent.
Levelling Up White Paper published
The Levelling Up White Paper of 2 February 2022 sets out funding for energy efficiency in the worst performing homes and cites over 240,000 low carbon jobs by 2035.
27 energy retail companies had exited the market since August 2021
Energy UK reports that 27 energy retail companies have left the market since August 2021, affecting almost 2.3 million households, with supplier of last resort costs of around £2.6 billion to date.
Additional tolerable standard requirement delayed
Scottish Ministers have delayed by one year the date on which fire and carbon monoxide detection and warning equipment becomes part of the tolerable standard for housing in Scotland.
Additionality assumption revised from 100% to 70%
The final impact assessment for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cuts the assumed additionality of its grants from 100 per cent to 70 per cent, meaning fewer installations are counted as extra.
BEIS to lay amended legislation for DRHI closure
BEIS intends to bring the closure of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive into effect through amended legislation due to be laid before Parliament in February 2022, Ofgem has said.
Bulb collapse takes households affected by failed suppliers above 3.7 million this year
Green Alliance says 21 energy suppliers have collapsed since the start of September, and that Bulb's failure has taken the number of households affected by a failed supplier above 3.7 million this year.
Energy SuppliersEnergy Bills and the Price CapRules and Regulation
Bulb sale process launched
The sale process for Bulb Energy, the largest supplier failure of the 2021 crisis, was launched in February 2022 and took ten months to complete, ending in a government sale to Octopus Energy.
BUS scheme length extended to three years
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will run for three years to 2024/25 rather than the two years proposed for the Clean Heat Grant, with grants of £5,000 or £6,000 and a £450m budget.
Energy Bills Support Scheme announced with £400 electricity bill discount
The Government's Energy Bills Support Scheme, first announced in February 2022, provided a £400 discount on electricity bills to households as energy prices rose sharply.
EQT to acquire InstaVolt from Zouk Capital
EQT announced in February 2022 that it would acquire InstaVolt from Zouk Capital and back a rollout of 10,000 rapid EV chargers by 2032.
February 2022 wholesale decision placed cap period seven adjustment in additional risk allowance
Ofgem has confirmed that the adjustment for cap period seven wholesale costs will stay inside the additional risk allowance, with no proposal to move it.
Final impact assessment confirms higher BUS grant levels
The final impact assessment for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme confirms grants of £5,000 for air source heat pumps, £6,000 for ground source heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass, replacing an earlier flat £4,000 proposal.
Government announces GBP350 support package for energy bills
The Chancellor has announced support claimed to be worth GBP350 against energy bills, much of it repayable, as Ofgem confirmed the price cap will rise by 54% in April.
UK Government releases new fuel poverty statistics for England
New government fuel poverty statistics for England show a lack of progress towards statutory commitments, with charities warning it will take over 60 years to meet them.
Green Alliance publishes briefing on protecting consumers from high energy bills
The Green Alliance has published a briefing on protecting consumers from high energy bills, setting out the causes of the 2021 price spike and what it says should happen next.
Ofgem decides to add SoLR charge to domestic gas unit rates
Ofgem confirmed in February 2022 that the costs of supplier failures would be recovered through a volumetric charge on domestic gas unit rates, adding to household bills.
Rules and RegulationEnergy SuppliersEnergy Bills and the Price Cap
Ofgem decides in-period adjustments to the Default Tariff Cap will be forward looking only
Ofgem has decided that any in-period adjustment to the Default Tariff Cap will apply only for the remainder of the cap period, not retrospectively, under a new licence power.
Ofgem previously set a £12 additional electricity shaping and imbalance allowance
Ofgem concluded in its February 2022 wholesale decision that electricity shaping and imbalance costs exceeded the price cap methodology, adding a £12 allowance recovered across cap periods eight and nine.
PAS 2030 and 2035 2022 iteration issued
The 2022 amendment to the PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 retrofit standards was issued in February 2022, adding a fully detailed Scottish matrix for retrofit skills and competencies.
UK Power Networks prepares for Storms Dudley and Eunice
UK Power Networks has put more than 100 engineering teams on duty from tonight as Storm Dudley arrives, with winds of up to 90mph forecast from Storm Eunice on Friday.
Qualifying week moved from September to early November
The Scottish Government has proposed moving the Winter Heating Payment qualifying week from September to early November so the £50 payment follows sooner after eligibility is assessed.
Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandGrants and SchemesHow To
Russia and China sign $117.5bn oil and gas deals
Three weeks before invading Ukraine, Russia and China signed oil and gas deals worth an estimated $117.5bn, including a 30-year gas contract raising supply to China by a quarter.
Russia invades Ukraine, disrupting global energy markets
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 disrupted global energy markets and added uncertainty to European gas supply, deepening a price crisis that had begun in 2021.
Scottish homes required to have carbon monoxide alarms
Since 1 February 2022 every Scottish home has been required to have a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance or flue, under rules now being publicised across the UK.