Energy

More than a million pensioners are expected to miss out on a £140 discount on their energy bills this winter, worrying figures show. A lack of awareness means households will lose out on the Warm Home Discount - which requires participating domestic energy suppliers to provide support to those who are in, or at risk of, fuel poverty. According to figures from Ofgem and the Department for Work and Pensions, last year 1,214,571 customers received the rebate. However, 1,343,450 over 65-year-olds were eligible for the discount, meaning that over 100,000 people missed out. The Warm Home Discount is available to people who are in receipt of the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, who have reached the state pension age and live on a weekly income of less than £167.25 for a single person or £255.25 for a couple. It comes as figures by comparison website Comparethemarket show more than one in five over 65-year-olds rationed their energy usage last winter in … [Read more...] about Energy discounts that could knock hundreds off your winter bills if you apply now

These shocking images show just how much energy the nation is losing - through poor roof installations, unreliable glazing and outdated window frames. New build homes, office blocks and high street shops in the UK were targeted with a thermal imaging camera to examine how much heat was leaking out. Office blocks were found to be a repeat offender thanks to open staircases, large glazed doors and fire escapes which allow heat to escape and are notoriously colder areas of a building. The images, compiled by glass and glazing manufacturer Pilkington Ltd, show a scale to the right of the thermal shot which indicates heat loss. The white areas of the pictures are the hottest on the scale, indicating where the most heat is leaking from the home. As the image fades to orange and then dark blue this highlights the coolest areas, where less heat is escaping. Julia Berkin, from Pilkington, said: "It's interesting to compare the different types of buildings and shocking to see how easily energy … [Read more...] about Shocking images show how much energy we lose through poorly insulated buildings

Energy customers have been warned to look further than "attention-grabbing" low tariffs following the failure of 13 firms since November. Citizens Advice said its latest ranking of energy suppliers showed a "big gap" in customer service standards, warning that it was often "the first thing to suffer" when a firm was struggling. Breeze, SSE and Igloo topped the charity's latest quarterly ranking while Nabuh Energy, Utilita and Toto made up the bottom three. Eversmart Energy would have come third from the bottom if it had not ceased trading earlier this month. Among the common problems faced by customers of suppliers at the bottom of the rankings were billing issues such as incorrect and late final bills, aggressive debt collection practices, problems with prepayment meters such as credit refunds and faulty meters. Citizens Advice is urging people to shop around carefully when looking for an energy supplier and recommends comparing companies' customer service performance as well as … [Read more...] about New warning over the dangers facing people switching to cheap energy deals

Thousands of households could be signing up for 100% green energy tariffs that aren't as eco-friendly as they seem, figures suggest. That's according to a new report that claims that tariffs marked '100% renewable electricity' could be misleading customers. Watchdog Which? said around 40 suppliers sold 100% renewable tariffs, but some did not generate the electricity themselves or have contracts to buy any renewable electricity directly from generators. These suppliers tend to buy the majority of their electricity on the wholesale market - which is likely to include fossil fuels. They then buy Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates as a way of offsetting the customer's energy usage with power sourced through renewable generation. REGO certificates can be bought by suppliers from renewable energy generators for as little as 30p to 50p per megawatt-hour (Mwh), Which? said. With the average customer using 3.1 Mwh of electricity a year, a supplier could buy REGO … [Read more...] about Green energy tariffs could be “misleading” customers, claims Which?

More than 11million homes will see their energy bills fall from Tuesday as the new energy price cap rate kicks in across the UK. The new rules mean households on their provider's standard variable tariff for gas and electricity will see their bills fall by an average of £75 a year. The energy price cap was first introduced on 1 January 2019 to protect households on expensive default standard variable, tariffs. These are often the most expensive deals in the market - costing families hundreds of pounds more every year. And from 1 October, it will fall from £1,254 to £1,179 for the winter period (October 2018 to March 2019), while the pre-payment meter cap will drop from £1,242 to £1,217 per year for the same six month period - marking a £25 saving. In all, Ofgem said around 15 million households will benefit from the latest cap changes. But while this represents a significant saving, customers are reminded that the cap is per unit of energy, … [Read more...] about Millions to see their energy bills fall by £75/year as new price cap kicks in