Powering Homes News: page 82
- March 2023
Energy companies agree to stop force-fitting prepayment meters in vulnerable customers' homes
All UK energy suppliers have told the government they will stop force-fitting prepayment meters in vulnerable customers' homes, while magistrates have temporarily halted warrant approvals.
Rules and RegulationEnergy Bills and the Price CapSmart Meters
Energy Price Guarantee to remain at £2,500 until July
The Spring Budget kept the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for a typical household until July 2023 instead of raising it to £3,000, but the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme ended in April.
First Minister backed £10 million uplift to the Fuel Insecurity Fund
The First Minister marked his first month in office with a £10 million uplift to the Fuel Insecurity Fund, a commitment the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel later cited when it criticised plans to close the fund.
Grants and SchemesScotland, Wales and Northern IrelandYour Type of Home
UK government announces plan to equalise prepayment and Direct Debit tariff costs
The UK government said in March 2023 that it would work to equalise the cost of prepayment and Direct Debit tariffs, addressing a gap in what households pay for the same energy.
Government consultation published on boiler standards, hydrogen-ready boilers and hybrids
A government consultation on minimum boiler standards, a 2026 mandate for hydrogen-ready gas boilers and the role of boiler-heat pump hybrids has been published, with responses due by 21 March 2023.
Government publishes details of HUG and SHDF spending
The government has published how £630m of Home Upgrade Grant money and £780m of Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund money will be spent, with funding available from April for insulation, glazing and heat pumps.
Government publishes response to ECO+ policy consultation
The government published its response to the ECO+ consultation in March 2023, setting out policy proposals for a scheme later renamed the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Government publishes summary of first REMA consultation responses
The government's March 2023 summary of responses to its first review of electricity market arrangements consultation ruled out several options, including pay-as-bid pricing.
Government response to ECO+ consultation published, renaming the scheme the Great British Insulation Scheme
The government has published its response to the ECO+ consultation, confirming the scheme will be renamed the Great British Insulation Scheme and run from 2023 to 2026 in England, Scotland and Wales.
Grants and SchemesInsulation and GlazingRules and Regulation
Great British Insulation Scheme announced
The Great British Insulation Scheme, announced in March 2023 to fund insulation in less efficient homes within set council tax bands, later closed to new applicants and completed its final installations.
Great British Insulation Scheme installs just over 1,000 measures in seven months
Analysis by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition finds the Great British Insulation Scheme installed just over 1,000 energy efficiency measures between March and October 2023, as 39% of UK households say they cannot afford to insulate.
Great British Nuclear launched
The government has launched Great British Nuclear to support new nuclear builds, announced in the Spring Budget 2023 alongside a three-month extension of the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500.
Judicial review judgment on Bulb sale published
The High Court judgment on the Bulb Energy special administration sale process was published at the end of March 2023, with the transaction completed on 20 December 2022.
MCS and HIES withdraw Green Energy Together accreditations, installer enters administration
MCS and HIES withdrew Green Energy Together's accreditations in March 2023, and the installer then entered administration, leaving some households without deposits or with unfinished work.
Ministers approve hydrogen blending in UK gas network
Ministers have approved blending hydrogen into the UK gas network, with commercial implementation expected by 2025-26 subject to safety assessments and legislative change.
Rules and RegulationWhere Our Energy Comes FromNew Technology
Octopus Flux tariff launched
Octopus Flux, a variable import and export tariff for homes with solar panels and a battery, has been available since March 2023 and changes every three months with Ofgem's price cap.
Only three suppliers exited the market in SY13
Ofgem's annual Feed-in Tariffs report shows supplier exits fell from 27 in Scheme Year 12 to three in Scheme Year 13, as market stability returned and scheme costs rose to £1.73 billion.
Ovo and SSE launch fixed tariffs estimated to yield suppliers around £484 and £469 profit per customer
Analysis by Future Energy Associates estimates that two new one year fixed tariffs from Ovo and SSE will earn suppliers £484 and £469 profit per customer while costing households more than the price cap.
Powering Up Britain energy security plan published
The Government published Powering Up Britain in March 2023, its second energy security plan in two years, setting out measures intended to reduce reliance on imported gas and oil.
Smart Pay Energy withdrew from the SEG during Year 3
Ofgem's SEG annual report records that Smart Pay Energy left the scheme part way through Year 3 against policy, and will be added to the Supplier Performance Report.
Spring Budget announces alignment of direct debit and pre-payment meter charges
The Spring Budget confirmed that charges for comparable direct debit and pre-payment meter customers would be aligned, ending the premium pre-payment customers pay for their energy.
SSEN plans multi-million pound Bordon infrastructure upgrade for spring 2023
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks is co-ordinating a multi-million pound electricity infrastructure upgrade in Bordon, Hampshire, with preparatory works completed in late 2022 and main works due to start in spring 2023.
Telford home upgraded with MCS certified solar panels and battery storage
MCS has published a case study of a Telford home fitted with MCS certified solar panels and battery storage in March 2023, reporting that the system has supplied around two-thirds of the household's electricity.
Tesco raises EV charging prices
Tesco raised the cost of charging an electric car at its stores in March 2023, with the 7kW rate rising from 28p to 44p per kWh, ending the free charging it once offered.
The Times reveals forced prepayment installations by British Gas subcontractor
The Times reported that a British Gas subcontractor used brutal methods to force-fit prepayment meters in vulnerable customers' homes, prompting suppliers to halt the practice.
New Warmer Homes Scotland scheme launches
A new version of Warmer Homes Scotland, built on a whole house retrofit approach, replaced the previous scheme in early 2023, targeting lower-income and vulnerable households in fuel poverty.
Grants and SchemesYour Type of HomeScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Wave 2.1 government funding allocated
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund's Wave 2.1 was allocated £778 million of government funding in March 2023, covering proposed energy performance improvements to around 90,000 social homes in England.
Welsh Government plans to start next Part L review in 2023
The Welsh Government has said it will begin the next review of Part L of the Building Regulations in 2023, with a minimum expectation of a 75% carbon improvement option for 2025.
- February 2023
Government releases Fuel Poverty Statistics for England showing 3.26 million households in fuel poverty
Official figures show 3.26 million English households in fuel poverty, with National Energy Action estimating the 2030 efficiency target is now 300 years away on current progress.
Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme application window closes
The Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme stopped taking applications on 28 February 2023, closing a £200 payment that was open to households regardless of how they paid for energy.
Grants and SchemesEnergy Bills and the Price CapScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland