Electricity retail

Tonik Energy becomes third supplier of 2020 to cease trading

Smart meter deal to solve procurement issues for challengers

Landis+Gyr has renewed its partnership with Calvin Capital in a deal it says will reduce the challenges faced by smaller energy suppliers in procuring smart meters. Under the new deal Landis+Gyr will provide SMETS2 smart meters to challenger energy brands which use Calvin Capital as their meter asset provider (MAP).

EDF MD: Why I was wrong about the pandemic

Six months into the pandemic and EDF Energy has had plenty of time to understand its impact on both its business and consumers. Managing director Philippe Commaret catches up with Utility Week and explains how his fears about the impact on the smart meter rollout have dissipated, how energy consumption patterns bode well for home workers and how a new service is helping customers with a smart meter better understand their usage.

Proposal to allow independent aggregators to trade flexibility in wholesale markets

Seven suppliers owe £34m in missed RO and FIT payments

Seven energy suppliers owe the regulator £34 million in Renewables Obligation (RO) and Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme payments. Figures released by Ofgem show Robin Hood Energy owes in excess of £12 million, while Tonik Energy has failed to pay £8.6 million.

Taskforce recommends fixed balancing charges on suppliers

Ofgem’s regulatory shift: What can energy firms learn from financial services?

Verastar acquires Axis for Business energy customers

Multi-utility provider Verastar has acquired the energy customers of Hull-based Axis for Business for an undisclosed sum. The company, which provides energy, water and telecoms services to small business customers, will serve the former Axis customers through Kinex, one of its four brands.

Paypoint ‘abused dominant position’

Ofgem has alleged a company which provides over the counter services to prepayment energy customers breached competition rules, causing detriment to suppliers. The regulator says that between 2009 and 2018 exclusivity clauses in Paypoint contracts meant retailers were left with limited ability to use rival services.

Total acquires on-street charging network in London

So Energy tops star ratings as challengers continue to dominate

So Energy has once again topped the Citizens Advice star ratings table, having been ranked first for six of the previous 11 quarters. These latest customer service ratings show the legacy suppliers continuing to lag behind their smaller rivals. British Gas X, Centrica's digital-only offering which was granted a supply licence earlier this year, debuted in the rankings at 35.

Ofgem forecasts a 20% increase in cost of administering RO

Ofgem has revealed it expects the costs of administering the renewables obligation (RO) for the 2020-21 year to be £6.6 million – a 20 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The administration charges are used to cover a number of costs under the scheme.

Trio appointed to manage new Retail Energy Code

Octopus expands into US with acquisition of Silicon Valley startup

Octopus Energy has entered the US market with the acquisition of Evolve Energy, a Texas and Silicon Valley-based startup. The company aims for its Kraken platform to have a presence in all 50 states, targeting 25 million accounts on the platform by 2027.

Energy switching fell to two-year low in Q2

The number of customers switching their gas or electricity supply in the second quarter of 2020 fell to the lowest level for more than two years, the latest statistics from Ofgem have shown.