Powering Homes news, page 97
- October 2022
Winter Heating Payment replaced Cold Weather Payments in Scotland
The Winter Heating Payment replaced the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland from winter 2022/23, ending DWP cold weather payments to Scottish claimants and paying a flat annual sum instead.
- September 2022
Citizens Advice calls for winter moratorium on prepayment meter installations
Citizens Advice has called for a winter moratorium until April 2023 on moving customers to prepayment meters under warrant and on switching smart meters to prepay to recover debt.
Energy Bills and the Price CapSmart MetersRules and Regulation
Cost of Living Support Scheme closed
The Welsh Government's £150 Cost of Living Support Scheme closed on 30 September 2022, ending payments for retrospective and new-build council tax banding cases and the window for registration responses.
Reconciliation deadline for rebate payments
Councils in England had to complete all Council Tax Rebate payments within the reconciliation process by 30 September 2022, with unspent discretionary funding repayable after 30 November.
Home Upgrade Grant: Phase 2 guidance first published
The Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 guidance for local authorities was first published on GOV.UK on 29 September 2022, setting out £630 million for off gas grid homes in England.
SHDF Wave 2.1 and HUG Phase 2 open for applications
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1 and Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 opened for applications on 29 September 2022, under the government's Help to Heat collection of household energy schemes.
Up to £1.5 billion Help to Heat funding launched for SHDF wave 2 and Home Upgrade Grant
The government has opened up to £1.5 billion in Help to Heat funding for social housing providers and local authorities in England to upgrade around 130,000 low-income and social homes.
Ofgem publishes good practice for supporting customers in payment difficulty
Ofgem has published examples of good practice for energy suppliers supporting customers in payment difficulty, saying it wants to raise standards across the consumer debt journey.
Rinnai UK announces availability of Naked Energy VirtuHOT products
Rinnai UK has added Naked Energy's VirtuHOT solar thermal and PVT range to its continuous flow hybrid hot water systems, claiming up to 3.5 times the carbon savings of conventional solar panels.
Welsh Fuel Support scheme opens for applications
The Welsh Fuel Support scheme opened for applications on 26 September 2022, paying eligible households a one-off £200 from their local authority towards winter fuel bills.
Grants and SchemesEnergy Bills and the Price CapScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Energy Bills Support Scheme ministerial direction published
The government has published the ministerial direction that puts the Energy Bills Support Scheme on a legal footing, requiring domestic electricity suppliers to pay the £400 discount to eligible households.
Rules and RegulationEnergy Bills and the Price CapGrants and Schemes
Government confirms energy bill support for Northern Ireland and off-grid homes
The government has confirmed Energy Price Guarantee support, the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme discount and a £100 alternative fuels payment for Northern Ireland and off-grid households.
Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandEnergy Bills and the Price CapYour Type of Home
Nesta launches live heat pump show home service at visitaheatpump.com
Nesta has launched a live booking service at visitaheatpump.com to test how people interested in heat pumps move from signing up to visiting a working system in London and Glasgow.
ev.energy app release adds detailed charge summaries
ev.energy has added energy source breakdown, charging duration, Smart Charging and Solar Charging savings, reward point insights and a simplified carbon rating to its app's charge summaries.
PBCC adds postcode-level energy consumption and EPC datasets
The Place-Based Carbon Calculator has added postcode-level gas and electricity consumption data for England, Scotland and Wales, plus UPRN-linked Energy Performance Certificate data for England and Wales.
Analysis updated for Energy Price Guarantee announcement
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit has updated its analysis of home insulation costs to reflect the Energy Price Guarantee, finding that Treasury could recover insulation spending through lower bills by early 2025.
Energy Markets Financing Scheme announced jointly by HM Treasury and Bank of England
HM Treasury and the Bank of England have announced a joint Energy Markets Financing Scheme to address liquidity requirements faced by energy firms in UK wholesale gas and electricity markets, designed as a last resort.
Government announces lifting of moratorium on UK shale gas production
The government has lifted the moratorium on UK shale gas production and set out a two-year Energy Price Guarantee limiting a typical household bill to £2,500 a year from 1 October.
Government announces two-year Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for typical household from 1 October 2022
The government has announced an Energy Price Guarantee limiting a typical UK household to £2,500 a year for two years from 1 October 2022, superseding the energy price cap.
UK Government confirms energy bills freeze at average £2,500 a year for Great Britain
The UK Government has confirmed average gas and electricity bills in Great Britain will be frozen at £2,500 a year, with the £400 rebate retained and a new fund for heating oil customers.
Liz Truss announces energy support package
Liz Truss has announced an energy support package setting the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 a year for the average Great Britain home, capping business costs for six months and lifting the fracking ban.
Rules and RegulationEnergy Bills and the Price CapEnergy Independence
Liz Truss appointed Prime Minister with 57.4% of the vote
Liz Truss has been appointed Prime Minister with 57.4% of the vote, and the National Insulation Association has summarised her stated positions on decarbonisation, net zero and the cost of living.
E3G publishes recommendations for UK emergency energy response
E3G has published a briefing urging emergency financial support, £5bn of energy efficiency investment, energy market reform and green finance regulatory reform in response to rising UK energy bills.
tado° acquired aWATTar in 2022
tado° has confirmed that it acquired aWATTar, a pioneer in dynamic energy tariffs, in 2022, as part of its push into home energy management and tariff-linked device control.
ASC provision increased considerably since the beginning of the gas crisis
Ofgem has reported that monthly provision of Additional Support Credit to vulnerable prepayment customers rose from around £4m before September 2022 to between £8m and £18m a month.
CIPHE warns households about burn and scald risks from heating hacks
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has warned that cost of living driven changes to heating systems may cause burns and scalds, especially in households with young, elderly or disabled occupants.
Citizens Advice published Out of the cold calling for a winter moratorium on forced prepayment meter installation
Citizens Advice has called for a winter moratorium on the forced installation of prepayment meters, warning that millions of households are disconnecting because they cannot afford to top up.
Energy Bills and the Price CapRules and RegulationSmart Meters
DCC warns up to 500,000 smart meters may not be migratable
The Data Communications Company told the government in September 2022 that technical limits on devices could leave more than 500,000 smart meters unable to move onto the central platform.
Government announces £2.5bn energy efficiency funding
The government has published how £630m of Home Upgrade Grant money and £780m of Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund money will be spent, part of a £2.5bn energy efficiency plan announced last September.
Green levies to be moved from bills to general taxation
Liz Truss confirmed that green levies which partly pay for insulating poorer homes will move off household energy bills and onto general taxation, a change backed by NGOs and the energy industry.