Powering Homes news, page 84
- March 2023
Citizens Advice publishes report recommending new energy bill support framework
Citizens Advice has published a report calling for the current system of energy bill support to be replaced by a state-determined social tariff funded by general taxation, with a new framework in place by spring 2024.
Rules and RegulationEnergy Bills and the Price CapEnergy Suppliers
Government launches online portal for alternative fuel payment
The government has opened an online portal for households that heat with oil to claim the £200 alternative fuel payment, with applications accepted until 31 May 2023.
Which? publishes annual energy supplier ratings with Octopus Energy top and average customer scores falling
Which? has published its annual energy supplier survey, with Octopus Energy top on 78 per cent and the average customer score falling to 54 per cent from 59 per cent a year earlier.
Which? responds to delayed Energy Bill Support Scheme payments for some Shell customers
Which? has said some Shell Energy customers will have part of their Energy Bill Support Scheme payments delayed until the Spring, and called on the supplier to act quickly.
Which? responds to government energy efficiency campaign and ECO+ scheme
Which? has welcomed the government's energy efficiency campaign and the ECO+ insulation scheme, while calling for fast delivery, independent advice and robust consumer protections.
Grants and SchemesInsulation and GlazingRules and Regulation
Government announces over £14 million to accelerate low carbon heating rollout
The government has announced more than £14 million for low carbon heating, with £9.7 million for four Heat Pump Ready projects and a £5 million grant to train 10,000 installers.
OVO Energy launches Kaluza-powered Charge Anytime EV charging plan
OVO Energy has launched Charge Anytime, a smart charging add-on giving eligible customers a flat 10p per kWh rate for electric vehicle charging, separate from their household electricity.
Almost 1.2m customers disconnected from energy supply
Ofgem figures show almost 1.2 million customers were disconnected from their energy supply in the first three months of 2023, with average household energy debt above £1,200 on electricity.
StatisticsEnergy Bills and the Price CapRules and Regulation
BISOL Bifacial and BIPV larger modules announced for market availability
BISOL Group has said its first larger-format M10 modules, the BISOL Bifacial and BIPV ranges, will reach the market in March, following the February release of its Duplex M10.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme extended until 2028
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been extended by three years to 2028, with extra funding for each year after 2025, but no budget level has yet been set for the extended scheme.
Chancellor announces Energy Price Guarantee
The Chancellor announced the Energy Price Guarantee in March 2023 to address higher prepayment costs, a scheme later replaced by prepayment levelisation from April 2024.
Chancellor introduces Energy Price Guarantee
The Retail Energy Code Company has updated the methodology behind the payment method levelisation scheme that replaced the Energy Price Guarantee's prepayment unit rate discount from April 2024.
CIPHE responds to spring statement on energy bill support
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has welcomed the three month extension of the energy price guarantee and the removal of the prepayment meter penalty, but says more is needed on fuel poverty.
Consultation on resolving the retrofitted BESS VAT anomaly opened in the spring
A call for evidence on VAT relief for energy saving materials opened in spring 2023, examining an anomaly that left retrofitted domestic battery storage facing 20% VAT.
Consultation on Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate published
The government consultation on a Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate was published in the week before 5 April 2023, with the mandate due to come into force in less than nine months.
Deeper Devolution Deal gives WMCA control of retrofit funding pot
The West Midlands Combined Authority has secured £34 million of government funding, matched by £35 million from housing providers, to retrofit around 3,000 homes rated D or below.
Defra Burn Better campaign supported by HETAS with sponsored video adverts
HETAS has sponsored video adverts on Facebook and Instagram in partnership with Defra to extend the reach of the government's Burn Better campaign, aimed at households that burn solid fuel at home.
EDF raised SEG Export Variable rate from 1.5p to 3p per kWh
EDF raised the rate on its no-strings SEG Export Variable tariff from 1.5p to 3p per kWh in March 2023, a rate that has since stayed unchanged while average export prices moved higher.
Energy Bill Support Scheme ends
The Energy Bill Support Scheme, which gave every household in Great Britain a £400 discount on energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023, ended in March 2023 with no replacement announced.
Grants and SchemesEnergy Bills and the Price CapRules and Regulation
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.