Powering Homes news, page 49
- September 2024
Domestic energy debt and arrears reached £3.82 billion
Ofgem has reported that domestic energy debt and arrears reached £3.82 billion in September 2024, a 91 per cent rise in two years, and has opened a consultation on debt standards.
Draft BS 40104:2024 retrofit assessment standard opened for national consultation
A draft British Standard setting out how domestic retrofit assessments should be carried out has been published for national consultation, with public comment invited before 22 September 2024.
Energy Secretary announces warm homes plan for renters
The Energy Secretary has announced plans to ban landlords from renting out properties that fail stricter energy efficiency standards, covering private and social rented housing in England.
First intake of Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship students expected
MCS has said it expects to enrol the first intake of students onto the UK's first Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship in September 2024, a dedicated training route for heat pump engineers.
Home Energy Scotland launches Community Analytics report pilot
Home Energy Scotland has introduced a Community Analytics report and opened a 2024-25 pilot offering the tool to up to 20 community groups across Scotland.
Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandWhere to StartGrants and Schemes
Octopus expected to repay circa £2.8 billion owed for Bulb
Octopus Energy is expected to repay about £2.8 billion owed for Bulb by September 2024, under a deferral trigger that could push the payment to September 2025.
Ofgem signals new smart meter Guaranteed Standards
Ofgem has confirmed new Guaranteed Standards of Performance for smart meter installation and fault handling, with consumer compensation starting on 23 February 2026.
PAWHP to replace Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland on a means-tested basis for winter 2024
The Scottish Government has confirmed that Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will replace the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland for winter 2024, mirroring the UK Government's restricted eligibility and paying £200 or £300 to between 110,000 and 130,000 pensioners.
Polling finds 40% of Northern Ireland households in fuel poverty
Polling carried out for National Energy Action NI in September 2024 indicated that as many as 40 per cent of households in Northern Ireland were living in fuel poverty.
StatisticsScotland, Wales and Northern IrelandWhere to Start
Rebel Energy takes over supply of Ebico Living customers from Octopus Energy
Ebico Living's electricity supply moves from Octopus Energy to Rebel Energy from October 2024, a change recorded in Which? sustainability rankings published in October 2024.
Residential firmware bundle 4.21.23 released
SolarEdge has published residential firmware bundle 4.21.23, adding multi-inverter backup support, IEC63027:2023 arc-fault compliance for low-power single-phase inverters and support for up to three EV chargers per site.
UK's last coal power station closes
Ratcliffe-on-Soar, the UK's last coal fired power station, closed in September 2024, ending 142 years of coal generation and taking the sector's emissions to zero.
ScottishPower launches EV Optimise add-on for EV drivers
ScottishPower has launched EV Optimise, an add-on that smart charges electric vehicles at 9p per kWh day and night and credits savings back to the customer's electricity bill.
Share Energy launches as newest Northern Ireland electricity supplier
Share Energy, based in Belfast, launched in September 2024 as the newest electricity supplier in Northern Ireland, claiming it will share half of future profits with customers.
SSEN completes design and build phase of first transformer in Southampton net zero network project
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has finished the design and build phase of the first transformer in an £8m Southampton network upgrade, four months into a project due to finish in June 2025.
Wave 3 scheme launch defined as publication of final guidance documents
Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund counts its launch from the September 2024 publication of final guidance, the point from which co-funding may be claimed.
Which? publishes consumer research on EPC reform
Which? has published consumer research based on 18 in-depth interviews with UK owner-occupiers, setting out six principles for reforming the content and design of Energy Performance Certificates.
Winter Fuel Payment backlash enters fourth week
The campaign against the removal of Winter Fuel Payments from millions of pensioners has entered a fourth week, with the Prime Minister defending the decision as petitions pass 700,000 signatures.
- August 2024
Hypervolt unveils beta of Synergy app for solar and storage customers
Hypervolt has opened a beta of its Hypervolt App v6, called Synergy, which links its EV chargers with OVO and Octopus smart tariffs and with Enphase and Tesla home storage.
ECIU analysis finds EPC band F homes face bills around £330 a year higher than band C under October price cap
ECIU analysis of Ofgem's October 2024 price cap finds homes rated EPC band F pay around £330 a year more for gas than band C homes, and around £630 more across both fuels.
Energy Bills and the Price CapWhere to StartRules and Regulation
Four new solar prior approval application types launched on Planning Portal
Planning Portal has added four solar prior approval application types to its online service, covering domestic and non-domestic solar equipment and solar canopies, with eligibility rules built into each form.
Ofgem announces new price cap as NEA projects 400,000 more households in fuel poverty
Ofgem has set a new price cap taking a typical annual energy bill to £1,717 from 1 October, as National Energy Action projects 6 million UK households in fuel poverty.
Energy Bills and the Price CapRules and RegulationYour Type of Home
Ofgem to confirm actual October price cap level
Ofgem was due to publish the actual October to December 2024 price cap on 23 August, with analysts and campaigners expecting a rise of around 10 per cent for a typical household.
Ofgem publishes standing charges options paper
Ofgem has published an options paper on reducing domestic standing charges by £20 to £100 a year and asked suppliers to offer no or low standing charge tariffs, with feedback open until 20 September 2024.
Ofgem sets price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2024
Ofgem has set the energy price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2024 at £1717 a year for a typical Direct Debit household, a 10% rise, and opened a consultation on standing charges.
Citizens Advice calls for reform of the Warm Home Discount
Citizens Advice has published analysis of continuing energy debt and called on the government to reform the Warm Home Discount before winter, as the price cap is forecast to rise.
Cornwall Insight predicts October price cap rise for typical households
Cornwall Insight has predicted that the October price cap will rise by around 10 per cent, adding approximately £150 a year to the bills of a typical dual fuel household, with Ofgem due to confirm the level on 23 August.
SSEN's Witney Green Recovery network upgrade under way
SSEN has begun a £5 million upgrade of its Witney substation, adding 14.2MW of capacity for nearly 30,000 homes and businesses, with completion scheduled for early 2026.
Hypervolt releases beta of Octopus Intelligent Go support for v3 customers
Hypervolt has opened a limited beta of Octopus Intelligent Go support for owners of its Home 3 and Home 3 Pro chargers, with testing through August and wider rollout planned by the end of the year.
Jackery launches E1000 v2, E240 v2 and upgraded SolarSaga 100W in the UK
Jackery has relaunched its Explorer 1000 and 240 portable power stations as the E1000 v2 and E240 v2, with an upgraded SolarSaga 100W panel, on sale in the UK from 15 August 2024.