Gas retail

Mitsui increases stake in Tonik Energy

Tonik Energy will use an additional £11 million investment from Japanese firm Mitsui to fund renewable energy technology including EV chargers. This is the second investment from the Tokyo-based firm, which invested £10.3 million in early 2019.

Lack of autoswitching regulation is causing ‘serious problems’ for customers

Regulation is needed for third-party intermediaries (TPIs), such as autoswitching services, Citizens Advice has claimed. A report from the charity has found fewer than 15 out of around 70 energy suppliers are being offered by some autoswitching services claiming to cover the entire market.

Weekend press round-up: Scottish Power accused of ‘harassment’

Our latest summary from the national papers includes a report accusing Scottish Power of "cruel harassment" after a number of non-customers claimed they were billed for large debts by the energy supplier. Also in Scotland, calls have been made for an inquiry into the collapse of an energy company backed by the Scottish government. Meanwhile Anglian Water co-owner First State Investments wants to buy the UK arm of an energy company that converts waste into power, according to City sources.

Unheard energy complaints pose challenge for the sector

Ofgem investigates British Gas over PPM changes

Social tariffs should be issued for vulnerable energy customers

A “social discount” or tariff should be introduced for vulnerable energy customers to improve affordability of bills for the lowest income households. A new report from charity Christians Against Poverty found more than half of pre-payment meter customers it helps show signs of self-disconnection, prompting calls for a number of recommendations to help the vulnerable.

Supporting retail market innovation for net zero

Ofgem director Neil Barnes sets out the regulator's vision for achieving net zero at the lowest cost. This includes the priority to accelerate innovation and create products and services that help consumers support decarbonisation through their energy use.

SMETS2 smart meters hit 4 million milestone

Centrica-owned British Gas installed the 4 millionth second-generation smart meter (SMETS2) in Kent. Last month a record 138 million messages were sent between SMETS2 meters.

Hybrid heating trial finds consumers willing to replace gas boiler with heat pump

Four out of the five participants in a hybrid heating trial conducted by the Energy Systems Catapult have expressed willingness to remove their gas boiler and rely entirely on a heat pump if they could buy heat as a service. They said fixing the costs of their heating would give them the confidence to leave their heating on for the longer periods of time a heat pump would need to warm their home.

Squaring the circle: Building consumer trust in a time of change

From auto-switching services to heat networks and electric vehicles (EVs), Matthew Vickers, chief executive at the Energy Ombudsman, highlights how the consumer relationship with energy and the energy market is changing. Vickers sets out his guiding principles to handling complaints following a merger or acquisition.

Council-owned Victory Energy finally has licences stripped

Portsmouth Council’s energy supplier will finally have its supply licences revoked more than a year since it was scrapped at a cost of at least £2.5 million.

A fair deal for poor households

Can Centrica be saved?

Even by the recent catalogue of corporate woes, Centrica’s announcement earlier this month that it had plunged into a loss of more than £1 billion must have been hard to take for outgoing CEO Iain Conn. As further heavy losses for 2019 continue to put the spotlight on the British Gas owner, Adam John looks at the direction of travel now for the energy leviathan and who might be the person to lead it.

Weekend press round-up: EDF to submit Sizewell C planning application within weeks

In the round-up of this weekend's press coverage: EDF is weeks away from submitting a planning application for its Sizewell C nuclear project in Suffolk; Ofwat is facing its biggest battle since privatisation after four companies revealed plans to appeal their final settlements; and Scottish Power launches a new tariff that guarantees customers electricity from its own renewable projects.

Price cap and nuclear outages lead to loss at EDF Energy

EDF Energy has reported a £294 million pre-tax operating loss in its financial results for 2019, blaming the price cap and nuclear outages, The company also announced the acquisition of a majority stake in electric vehicle charging company Pod Point.