Rob Horgan

Call for winter ban on forced PPMs

Ofgem's “disappointingly limited” actions on forced prepayment meter (PPM) installations have been slammed by the government's fuel poverty advisor, which has instead called for a further ban this winter. The Committee on Fuel Poverty takes aim at the regulator’s measures to improve standards around forced PPMs installations, in its annual report. The Committee also urges suppliers “to think long and hard” before returning to the practice of forced PPM installations.

British Gas extends demand flexibility offering for summer

Flint: Energy self-rationing must be investigated

Utilita backs clustered heat pump installations to drive down costs

Half of Brits want fixed deal certainty

No sign switching will return to historic levels any time soon

The number of customers switching electricity supplier has dipped for the first time this year. Following four consecutive months of growth, May saw the first recorded drop in customers switching supplier in 2023. In total, Energy UK figures reveal 150,852 consumers switched to a new supplier in May, down considerably on the 197,620 switches recorded in April.

Water sector must end its ‘fix on fail’ mindset

EDF implements AI-powered customer service platform

EDF is the latest retailer to put its trust in artificial intelligence (AI) to boost its customer service offerings. The energy company has announced that it will be implementing the Dynatrace platform to support its customer-facing services, including billing and account queries, meter reading submissions and online customer support engagements.

Upgrading homes would slash billions off customer bills

A large-scale drive to upgrade the UK’s energy inefficient homes would slash billions off customer bills. Citizens Advice research claims that upgrading 13 million inefficient homes to EPC C by 2030 would save customers £951 per year per household, totalling a combined £23.8 billion.

Ofgem announces director reshuffle

Ofgem has reshuffled its senior leadership team, announcing eight role changes. While most of the appointments are internal promotions or sideways moves within the organisation, Ofgem has also drafted in recruits from government to bolster its ranks, including in two newly-created roles.