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1 year ago
The moratorium on prepayment meter (PPM) installations is adding around £30 million a month to the sector’s bad debt levels, it has been revealed. In its response to Ofgem’s Call for Input on the allowance for debt-related costs, Energy UK raises concerns about the proposed mechanism for recovering bad debt as a result of the pause on PPM installations. Instead it says most of its members back a levy of some sort.
Two water companies failed to adequately supply bottled water to thousands of customers cut off during freeze thaw events over the winter. Ofwat has told South East and Southern Water that they must “make significant improvements” to their emergency response procedures after supply failures in December 2022. The regulator’s order comes following an investigation into the freeze thaw events which affected all regions last winter.
Octopus Energy has relaunched its Tracker tariff which allows consumers to follow wholesale prices and tailor their usage accordingly. The smart tariff is based on daily wholesale market rates, which means the price for energy can change each day. Octopus claims this can save consumers money by shifting large amounts of their energy use to avoid expensive peaks.
The UK government has been warned that it risks losing the workforce it needs to meet its net zero ambitions. The Committee on Climate Change has urged the government to take action to “defend its competitive advantage in Net Zero sectors like hydrogen and carbon capture”. Failing to do so will see workers leave the UK for countries in Europe or the USA, where there is a clear plan for the creation of net zero jobs.
Sizewell B has begun generating again following the completion of an £80 million upgrade. The Suffolk nuclear plant has been offline since the middle of February. In that time, the plant has undergone refuelling and a series of maintenance works. This included replacing one of the two rotors that are responsible for turning the turbine that makes the power, replacement of one of the four reactor coolant pumps inside the plant’s dome and routine servicing of valves and motors.
