Policy

Networks could supplement suppliers’ smart meter rollout

Ex-Ofgem CEO fears abuse of regulator’s net zero mandate 

Price cap profit increase will only stem retail losses

Weekend press round-up: Boiler makers up in arms over UK heat pump targets

‘Get on, get back or get out’: ESO fleshes out connection queue reforms

Smart meter installation rate must double to hit target

Call for tax breaks extension for energy saving materials

The government is being urged to provide tax breaks for a wider range of energy saving materials. In a joint letter to the Treasury, the likes of EDF, Ovo and Eon call for tax relief for energy saving materials to be extended for technologies such as batteries, smart thermal stores and home electric vehicle chargers. The technologies on the Energy Saving Materials list are exempt from VAT, but the list has not been updated since 2006.

National Grid seeks firms for £4.5bn Great Grid Upgrade work

Cost of forced PPM ban on bad debt levels revealed  

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.

Defra slammed for ‘slow and weak’ wet wipe reform

Therese Coffey has written to the manufacturers of wet wipes asking them "to reconsider" wording on packaging to remove words like flushable. Wet wipes containing plastic are responsible for 94% of sewer blockages, which costs the industry £100 million a year. Fleur Anderson, Labour MP, said the action was "too slow and too weak".

Unpacking the latest price cap announcements

Charity boss says EBSS vouchers don’t work

Targeted support urgently needed following price cap update

Plummeting wholesale costs see price cap fall by £1,200  

Defra minister: Water renationalisation ‘a soundbite, not a solution’