Powering Homes News: page 73
- July 2023
Centrica trading division reported £1.4 billion profit
Centrica's energy marketing and trading division made £1.4 billion in profit during the year, it was reported in July 2023, as the company's wider role in UK gas supply drew scrutiny.
Draft Heat Strategy for Wales published for consultation
The Welsh Government published its Draft Heat Strategy for Wales for consultation in summer 2023, setting out long term requirements for decarbonising heat across all sectors by 2050.
Energy Bills Support Scheme ends
The Energy Bills Support Scheme has ended, removing support that held the average bill 16 per cent below the Energy Price Guarantee rate, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition has said.
Energy Saving Trust publishes its Guide to solar panels
Energy Saving Trust has published a guide to solar panels covering how the technology works, typical costs and savings, and how to find an MCS certified installer.
Energy Systems Catapult chosen to develop Lancaster District LAEP
Energy Systems Catapult was chosen in July 2023 to produce a whole systems, evidence-led Local Area Energy Plan for Lancaster District, which Lancaster City Council signed off in October 2024.
FCA Consumer Duty comes into force
The Financial Conduct Authority's Consumer Duty took effect at the end of July 2023, setting a higher standard of consumer protection for regulated firms including those that finance home heating.
First Warm This Winter Tariff Watch report published
The first Warm This Winter Tariff Watch report, produced with Future Energy Associates, says suppliers could make £1.74bn in permitted profit over the next 12 months and sets out regional price differences.
Fixed tariff availability doubles in July 2023
The number of fixed energy tariffs newly available on the UK market doubled in July 2023, from five in early 2023 to ten, according to the first Warm This Winter Tariff Watch report.
Government appears to rule out social tariff consultation
The Government appeared in July 2023 to rule out a consultation on a social tariff for energy, despite having said it intended to consult on options that summer.
Government reduces Energy Price Guarantee extra support to zero
The government cut the extra support paid through the Energy Price Guarantee to zero on 1 July 2023, ending a 3.77p per unit discount for Power NI customers and adding an estimated 14p a day to bills.
Government rejects Energy Bill amendments on forced PPM transfers
The Government has rejected backbench amendments to the Energy Bill that would have given it power to ban forced transfers of households onto prepayment meters, with further debate postponed to the autumn.
Rules and RegulationEnergy Bills and the Price CapSmart Meters
UK government reviews 600,000 heat pumps per year target
A July 2023 parliamentary briefing reviewed the government's target of 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028, noting that only 72,000 were fitted in 2022 and that barriers remain.
Heat Training Grant begins funding heat pump installer training
The £5 million Heat Training Grant has funded training for around 3,000 heat pump installers since July 2023, part of a wider push to build the installer base behind the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Intelligent Octopus Flux launched
Octopus Energy launched Intelligent Octopus Flux in July 2023, a bundled import and export tariff for homes with solar panels and a qualifying battery, with matching peak rates.
Northern Ireland announces plan for electricity smart meter implementation
Northern Ireland's Department for the Economy is developing a plan for electricity smart meters, with analysis recommending a six-year roll-out beginning in 2027.
Smart MetersScotland, Wales and Northern IrelandNew Technology
Ofgem opens workstream to review suppliers' wholesale costs for default tariff customers
Ofgem has opened a workstream to review whether suppliers' wholesale costs for default tariff customers between October 2022 and September 2023 differed from the allowances built into the price cap.
Ofgem reduces typical domestic consumption values used in price caps
Ofgem has cut the typical domestic consumption values used to calculate price cap bills, reducing assumed annual gas use by 17 per cent and electricity use by 7 per cent.
Prepayment meter customers no longer face the highest energy costs
Ofgem and Citizens Advice research finds prepayment meter customers have not faced the highest energy costs since July 2023, with satisfaction reaching a record 81% in January 2025.
Prepayment meter premium ended
From 1 July 2023 households on prepayment meters are no longer charged more for their energy than direct debit customers, ending a long-standing price premium.
Prepayment price penalty ends for prepayment customers
Legislation effective 1 July 2023 ends the prepayment price penalty, so households on prepayment meters should no longer pay more than Direct Debit customers, saving an estimated £45 a year on average.
Price cap becomes default price as it drops below Energy Price Guarantee level
The price cap became the default price for Great Britain on 1 July 2023 after it fell below the Energy Price Guarantee, which had held the average household bill at £2,500.
Energy Bills and the Price CapStatisticsRules and Regulation
Price cap fell below EPG levels
The July 2023 price cap fell to £1,976, below the Energy Price Guarantee level, so household bills fell for the first time in almost three years and the guarantee stopped being a cost to government.
Revised EPC regulations planned for Winter 2023-24
The Scottish Government has consulted on reforming Energy Performance Certificates, proposing a shorter validity period and new metrics, with revised regulations planned for the Scottish Parliament in Winter 2023-24.
Scottish Government launches EPC reform consultation
The Scottish Government consulted on reforming Energy Performance Certificates between July and October 2023, and its analysis of the 323 responses was published on 23 January 2025.
Solution for meter-to-IHD signal distance issues to be deployed
The energy industry has developed a technical fix for smart meter signals that fail to reach in-home displays in flats and other properties where the meter sits far from the home, with deployment from July 2023.
New technology expected to extend smart meter eligibility to more than 99% of homes
Government expects a technical fix for hard-to-reach sites such as high-rise flats to lift smart meter coverage above 99% of homes from July 2023, subject to pilot results.
- June 2023
EBSS voucher redemption deadline
The deadline for redeeming Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers passed at 11.59pm on 30 June 2023, with official data showing high levels of unclaimed payments in some of the poorest constituencies.
Energy Price Guarantee scheme closed
The Energy Price Guarantee, which discounted unit rates for every household with a domestic gas or electricity contract, closed on 30 June 2023 after nine months of operation.
Energy Bills and the Price CapRules and RegulationGrants and Schemes
Final date to activate EBSS prepayment vouchers
Prepayment meter customers have until 30 June 2023 to activate Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers, including replacement vouchers issued after an earlier one expired.
Price cap falls below the Energy Price Guarantee level
Ofgem's price cap fell below the government's Energy Price Guarantee on 1 July 2023, so the cap once again sets maximum prices for direct debit and standard credit customers.