Powering Homes News: page 49
- July 2024
Get a Heat Pump campaign runs for 12 months to 2025
Nesta backed its Get a Heat Pump information website with a 12 month social media campaign across 2024 and 2025, testing TikTok and Pinterest and reporting cost and conversion findings.
Good Energy launches fixed EV tariff with Zapmap Premium benefit
Good Energy has launched a fixed electric vehicle tariff with a five-hour overnight rate of 7.4p per kWh and a free Zapmap Premium subscription, available from 1 July.
Government announces Great British Energy
The government announced Great British Energy in July 2024, following the general election, as part of a wider set of plans that now shape debate about the future of the gas grid.
Government announces means-testing of Winter Fuel Payments
The Government has announced that Winter Fuel Payments will be means-tested from this winter, restricted to pensioner families on Pension Credit or an equivalent benefit, saving £1.3 billion rising to £1.5 billion.
Government announces 'rooftop revolution' for solar
The government announced a "rooftop revolution" in July 2024 to encourage builders and homeowners to install solar, alongside a target of 45 to 47 gigawatts of solar by 2030.
UK Government commits to bringing forward the ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030
The UK Government has committed to moving the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars forward from 2035 to 2030, a change set out alongside the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
Government commits to Great British Energy legislation in first King's Speech
The government has committed to putting draft legislation on Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean energy company, into the first King's Speech on 17 July.
Government planned significant cut to Winter Fuel Payment eligibility
The government planned a significant cut to Winter Fuel Payment eligibility in July 2024, then reversed course so all pensioners keep the payment, with higher incomes clawed back.
Government removed the de facto onshore wind ban in England
The government has removed the de facto ban on onshore wind in England that had been in place since 2015, according to its formal response to the Climate Change Committee's progress report.
Rules and RegulationWind, Hydro and Micro-CHPWhere Our Energy Comes From
UK Government restricted Winter Fuel Payment entitlement
The UK Government restricted Winter Fuel Payment entitlement in July 2024 to households receiving Pension Credit and other means-tested benefits, cutting the Block-Grant Adjustment by £147 million in 2024-25.
Grant UK launches Aerona 290 heat pump range
Grant UK launched its fifth generation Aerona 290 air source heat pump in 2024, the first in its range to use R290 refrigerant instead of the more common R32.
Home Energy Model set to replace SAP under Future Homes Standard consultation
The Future Homes Standard consultation proposes replacing the Standard Assessment Procedure with the Home Energy Model, a more detailed calculation method for new homes in the UK.
Labour wins UK General Election and forms new government
Labour won the UK General Election and Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister with a majority of 181, completing cabinet energy appointments at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
New MCS Scheme to come into effect in summer 2024
MCS has said its redeveloped certification scheme will come into effect in summer 2024, resetting the consumer protections attached to certified small-scale renewable installations in UK homes.
NEA figures show 5.6 million UK households in fuel poverty from 1 July
National Energy Action figures show 5.6 million UK households will be in fuel poverty from 1 July, as the energy price cap falls 7 per cent to a typical bill of £1,568 a year.
Octopus introduces third off-peak period for Cosy Octopus
Octopus Energy added a third off-peak window, 10pm to 12am, to its Cosy Octopus heat pump tariff in July 2024, giving eligible households eight hours of cheaper electricity a day.
Ofgem opens compliance engagement with six largest suppliers on smart meter obligations
Ofgem opened compliance engagement with Great Britain's six largest energy suppliers in July 2024 to examine why some smart meters are not operating in smart mode.
Record first half for certified heat pump installations
MCS reports 26,797 certified heat pump installations in the first half of 2024, 45 per cent more than the same period in 2023, putting the year on course for a record.
Solar Together West Yorkshire opens to the county
Solar Together West Yorkshire ran as a collective buying scheme from July 2024 to May 2025, arranging 645 solar and battery installations at prices quoted as up to 42% below the usual market rate.
Stage one consultation launched on Scottish Passivhaus equivalent
The Scottish Government has opened a second consultation on its planned Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard, setting out proposed energy and environmental targets and a revised implementation date of Autumn 2029.
Which? published previous report on reforming EPCs
Which? published a policy report in July 2024 on reforming energy performance certificates, based on interviews with 18 homeowners across the UK.
- June 2024
Citizens Advice and others write to Ofgem urging reconsideration of proposal to remove the Ban on Acquisition-only Tariffs
Citizens Advice and seven other organisations have written to Ofgem asking it to reconsider a proposal to remove the ban on acquisition-only tariffs, which limit deals to new customers.
Coalition writes to Ofgem urging it not to lift ban on acquisition-only tariffs
Which? and a coalition of energy firms and consumer groups have written to Ofgem urging it not to lift the ban on acquisition-only tariffs, which allow suppliers to offer cheaper deals to new customers only.
Citizens Advice published its response to Ofgem's operating cost allowance review consultation
Citizens Advice has told Ofgem not to loosen the operating cost allowance in the energy price cap without clear evidence, arguing for lower-quartile benchmarking of supplier costs.
Cornwall Insight forecasts October 2024 price cap rise to £1,724
Cornwall Insight forecasts issued on 28 June 2024 point to the Ofgem price cap rising by more than £150 to £1,724 from October, ending the summer's small reduction.
Nesta publishes policy blueprint for coordinated street-by-street low-carbon heat switching
Nesta has published a policy blueprint proposing a voluntary, coordinated street-by-street approach to switching homes to low-carbon heating, alongside the existing individual-led model.
Quarterly Energy Prices: June 2024 published
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published the June 2024 edition of Quarterly Energy Prices, its accredited official statistics on domestic and industrial fuel prices.
BESA warns of safety risks from rising use of flammable refrigerant R290
BESA has published technical bulletin TB57 warning that R290 propane, now spreading through heat pumps and air conditioning, is highly flammable and sits outside UK F-Gas rules.
Hook Norton community share raise seeks £500,000 to complete sustainable homes with UK-first community microgrid
Hook Norton Community Land Trust is raising £500,000 through a community share offer to complete energy efficient homes in Oxfordshire, with a microgrid reported as a UK first at community level on a site of fewer than 30 homes.
Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 come into force
Amendment regulations on energy performance data sharing in England and Wales came into force on 24th June 2024, widening who may receive assessment data and what the register keeper may publish.