A recent report, "UK housing: Fit for the future?", suggests that houses built after 2025 should not be connected to the gas grid. This would effectively ban householders in new homes from using gas boilers for space and water heating and using gas hobs for cooking. The report suggests that alternative technology, such as heat pumps powered by electricity, would be used for … [Read more...]
Government Plan To Give Homes More Control Over Energy Use
A new government energy strategy plans to give consumers more control over energy use in the home. The report, Upgrading Our Energy System, was issued by BEIS (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) on 24 July 2017. It promises changes to the way Ofgem and electricity suppliers are managed, allowing better use of energy storage and smart … [Read more...]
Solar FIT Generation Payments Set At 4.04p per kWh From 1 April 2017
Feed in Tariff (FIT) generation payments for new solar PV installations will fall to 4.04p/kWh for April-June 2017, a further 1.7% reduction in payments compared with January-March 17. This is in line with government plans to gradually reduce the cost of payments for new installations over time. For installations more than 12 months ago, payments are being increased by 2.5% in … [Read more...]
Battery Storage Shows Potential At Solar Energy UK 2016
I've been attending the Solar Energy show at the NEC for a few years now and some developments in the industry are plain to see: The decline in domestic roof top solar PV installationsThe increase in battery storage products Domestic Rooftop Solar Panel InstallationAs a result of the February 2016 Feed In Tariff changes, domestic rooftop installations have dramatically … [Read more...]
npower Fined £26 million By Ofgem For Poor Customer Service
Ofgem has fined npower £26m following the supplier’s billing and complaint handling failings after npower introduced a new IT system in 2011. As a result npower issued over half a million late bills in a 15-month period with problems continuing well into 2014. The fine will be divided between the worst affected customers and charities. Ofgem has also set targets for npower … [Read more...]