Industry News Roundup August 2020
Friday 21/08 – The Trades Union Congress says that a balanced energy policy approach will help the UK meet its net zero targets. Ofgem confirms that OVO Energy, which acquired SSE Energy Services in January, has paid £1.2mn into the voluntary redress fund after SSE failed to meet its smart meter installation targets for 2019.
Thursday 20/08 – Centrica is to provide heat and power to the Birmingham NEC site as part of a new energy service partnership. People's Energy teams up with East Lothian Council to create an energy supplier for local residents as part of a joint commitment to help eradicate fuel poverty.
Wednesday 19/08 – The government outlines how it will use legally binding targets under its Environment Bill to combat environmental and climate challenges. Nottingham City Council announces it is to hold a special council meeting on Thursday 27 August to respond to the Report in the Public Interest carried out by external auditors into the council’s governance of Robin Hood Energy.
Tuesday 18/08 – Current reports that the government has awarded over £1.5mn to two electric vehicle charging projects to help utilise electricity when it is at its cheapest and help balance the grid. Current also reports that Ofgem has launched an evaluation of balancing costs as they rise by 39% during lockdown.
Monday 17/08 – The government is to progress work to assess potentially viable options to support deployment of low carbon hydrogen production capacity. The government released details of an extension to the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and a new flexible allocation of tariff guarantees under the non-domestic RHI scheme.
Friday 14/08 – In a new report on the issue of housing stock decarbonisation, Citizens Advice calls on the government to establish net zero homes guarantee to provide confidence for homeowners. A group of Conservative MPs urges the government to bring forward the ban on internal combustion engine vehicle sales from 2035 to 2030.
Thursday 13/08 – Bulb pays out £1.76mn in compensation and redress to 61,000 customers, Ofgem announces, following non-compliances on serving restricted meter customers and Priority Services Register data. Ofgem approves a variant of CMP350 Changes to the BSUoS COVID Support Scheme that reduces the current £15/MWh cap on Balancing Services Use of System charges (introduced by CMP345) to £10/MWh from today.
Wednesday 12/08 – The Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station generates power, ending GB’s coal-free run. Energy UK’s latest electricity switching figures show the number of customers switching supplier is continuing to recover after falls during the early months of the pandemic.
Tuesday 11/08 – New research carried out for the National Infrastructure Commission reveals how sharp falls in the cost of renewable generation could enable Great Britain to aim for renewables to meet 65% of generation by 2030.
Monday 10/08 – The government confirmed that 17 projects in areas such as low carbon heat will receive up to £50,000 of government funding. Yü Group PLC acquires the B2B customer book from Bristol Energy Limited.
Friday 07/08 – Ofgem announces the level of the default tariff cap covering 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021, which will see a decrease of £84 for a typical household paying by direct debit from £1,126 to £1,042. Conditions in the domestic retail market are not yet ready for the default tariff cap to be lifted, the regulator advises. Too many eligible households in Scotland are not benefiting from the Warm Home Discount scheme, Citizens Advice Scotland argues.
Thursday 06/08 – The government announces its ambition that homes built under new planning changes will not need retrofitting in the future. The latest BEIS Public Attitudes Tracker finds that public awareness of net zero as a concept has jumped from 52% in March to 63% in June.
Wednesday 05/08 – The Prospect union urges the government to deliver an additional 10GW of new nuclear by 2030, as part of its 10-point green recovery plan for the energy sector. Ofgem announces it is proceeding with plans to roll the prepayment meter price cap into the wider default tariff cap, set with an appropriate prepayment uplift to reflect the different cost to serve.
Tuesday 04/08 – The government urges tradespeople to sign up to the TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme accreditation if they want to provide their services as part of the new £2bn Green Homes Grant being implemented in September.
Monday 03/08 – The Energy Network Association’s Open Networks Project launches a consultation on flexibility.
Written By Graham Paul
