beis

  • Home supply and services

    Market share shifts: Octopus Energy’s acquisition of Bulb accelerates growth

    On Saturday 29 October BEIS confirmed it had approved the transfer of Bulb’s 1.5mn customers, as well as 650 employees, to Octopus Energy. In this week's 'Chart of the Week', we look back over time at the two suppliers and the growth Octopus Energy has seen through organic means and...

  • Regulation and policy

    Adjustments to the Energy Bill Relief Scheme

    In October, the government announced a number of adjustments to the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) for non-domestic consumers. In this week’s 'Chart of the week', we look at the impact of the maximum discount on those businesses that have been unable to fix their energy costs.

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Record renewables pipeline: will investors reconsider after UK proposes green revenue cap?

    News this week that the UK government is mulling over a cap on green generation revenues comes at a time when our research finds that the investment pipeline for electricity renewables generation is the highest it has ever been. In our Renewables Pipeline Tracker (RPT) service we analyse the growing...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    It’s a fix! BEIS floors competitive energy market

    Last week saw the government announce the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which will see the typical dual fuel household’s unit rates capped at 34p/kWh for electricity and 10.3p/kWh for gas. Customers on fixed tariffs will get support to bring their tariffs down to the same level, up to 17p/kWh of...

  • Regulation and policy

    T-1 Capacity Market 2023-24

    The T-1 Capacity Market (CM) auction for Delivery Year 2023-24 will take place on 14 February 2023, during a particularly challenging period for the GB energy system with prices rising to unprecedented levels and concerns over security of supply. In this week’s ‘Chart of the Week’, we examine the range...

  • Low carbon generation

    BEIS confirm end-date for recognition of EU GoO imports

    In this week’s ‘Chart of the Week’, we examine the historical volume of GoOs imported for FMD and explores what impact GoO removal will have on the REGO market.

  • Regulation and policy

    What’s the story…Oxera publishes findings on Ofgem’s regulatory performance

    On 6 May, Ofgem published a report on the findings of an independent review undertaken by Oxera and commissioned by Ofgem's Board into the root causes of the recent supplier failure. In this 'Chart of the week', we look at how the report assesses the performance of Ofgem in meeting...

  • Business supply and services

    A GoO-ey end? Green power import certificates poised for removal

    On 29 March, BEIS published a consultation seeking views on the removal of Feed in Tariff (FIT) and Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme cost exemptions for green imported electricity and the recognition of EU Guarantees of Origin (GoOs) in GB altogether. Our 'Chart of the week' shows historic GoO imports...

  • Low carbon generation

    CfD Allocation Round 4: how much capacity might we expect?

    On 13 September, BEIS published the draft budget notice and draft Allocation Framework for Allocation Round 4 (AR4) of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, scheduled to open in December 2021. BEIS set out a total draft budget of £265mn (in 2011-12 money) for AR4, meaning that total spend in...

  • Low carbon generation

    A podium finish: ROC banking in CP19

    The Renewables Obligation (RO) Compliance Period (CP) 19 (2020-21) has been unusual in the scheme’s history in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we are in the so-called “compliance season” for CP19, we reflect on the last year and the importance that Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) “banking”...

  • Home supply and services

    Green certificate prices continue to rise amid BEIS proposals

    On 16 August, BEIS opened the consultation ‘Designing a framework for transparency of carbon content in energy products’. This call for evidence invites views on whether the use of Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates for annualised renewable energy matching inhibits transparency for consumers, and how the REGO framework could...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | UK carbon emissions were down 10% in 2020

    BEIS published its provisional 2020 UK greenhouse gas emissions figures on 25 March. In this 'Chart of the week', we consider the significant impact of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns in the UK on carbon emissions last year. Carbon emissions in the UK are provisionally estimated to have fallen by...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | Survey reveals public underestimate role of heating in emissions

    In this week's 'Chart of the week', we look at the findings published by BEIS from a survey of the British public on the transition to a low-carbon heating future on 1 September. Transforming Heat – Public Attitudes Research reveals that there is strong public support for carbon reduction policies,...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | Road to recovery: COVID-19 and the smart rollout

    The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the smart meter rollout is uncertain, although modelling from BEIS and Ofgem has provided early indications of future installation levels. In this week’s Chart of the week we compare these assessments against pre-pandemic expectations. With the introduction of social distancing and lockdown...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Pixie Chart of the week | Piclo publishes DNO flexibility findings

    Software company Piclo released two white papers in September sharing findings from the pilot phase of its Piclo Flex Marketplace trial. The papers, supported by BEIS, explore the future of distributed flexibility procurement as researched through Piclo’s trials with all six of GB’s Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). This week’s Chart of...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | Better late than never: smart rollout gets new targets

    Last week BEIS announced that the rollout of smart meters will continue past the original 2020 deadline to 2024. In this Chart of the Week, we will look at some of the implications of delays to the smart meter rollout and highlight four key industry programmes that may be affected. Government has described...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | Fix Up, Look Smart – SMETS installation dates on the horizon

    Energy suppliers have a licence obligation to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters in homes and microbusinesses by the end of 2020. When installing meters, suppliers must comply with the Installation Validity Periods (IVPs) set out in the Smart Energy Code. They specify when meters complying with the...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Heat network investment – an increasingly hot prospect

    On 6 August, BEIS published the 2019 Q2 Heat Networks Project Pipeline. The summary brings together a range of investment opportunities across projects supported through their development stages by the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) and projects seeking capital support from the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). In this week’s Pixie Chart...

  • Low carbon generation

    Pixie Chart of the week | Europe accelerating plans for CCUS

    Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) is expected to be an important tool for meeting net zero carbon targets and for mitigating climate change. Although uptake of CCUS technology has been slow in the UK, on 27 June BEIS announced that nine companies have been awarded government funding to advance...

  • Net zero corporates and ESG

    Pixie Chart of the week | Local Authorities delivering local energy

    In this week's Pixie Chart of the Week, we discuss a recent report issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which highlighted the growing concerns Local Authorities (LAs) have in respect of energy costs. PwC surveyed four business types on six areas of energy strategy: cost, sustainability, security, related costs, smart energy and other.

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Capacity Market oversupply continues – but for how long?

    In this week's Chart of the Week, we put our focus on the Capacity Market as on 13 May 2019, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark wrote to the Delivery Body to update the target procurement volumes for the replacement T-1 2019-20 capacity auction which is being...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Non-domestic RHI average capacity continues to grow

    In this week’s Pixie Chart of the week, we examine the latest data from the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), published by BEIS. It highlights a continuing decline in the number of installations made under the scheme, but alongside this a continued rise in average capacity. The latest quarter (January to March 2019)...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Tipping the cap: analysis of competition for CfD AR3

    Qualification for the third allocation round (AR3) of the Contracts for Differences (CfDs) low-carbon support scheme is due to commence on 29 May.  BEIS announced in November 2018 that participants in AR3 would be competing for an annual budget of £60mn, with successful bidders expected to commission in delivery years...

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | Domestic renewable heat knowledge gap revealed by BEIS

    In this week's Pixie Chart of the Week we discuss how this month, BEIS released its Public Attitudes Tracker survey for December 2018. The report outlined the public’s attitudes in respect of BEIS policies on energy, climate change and workers’ rights, and has been running since March 2012.

  • Heat networks

    Pixie Chart of the week | RHI tariff degression for large biomass and biomethane

    On 1 January 2019, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced that it would reduce the tariff price level (through a process called degression) for large biogas and biomethane installations on its non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. The Non-domestic RHI opened on 28 November 2011 as...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Offshore wind: taking up the load

    In this week's Chart of the Week we discuss BEIS releasing its Allocation Framework for CfD Round 3 (AR3) on 21 January 2019, which included a new load factor for offshore wind of 58.4%. This compares to 47.7% for AR2 and 37.7% for AR1 in 2017 and 2014 respectively, marking significant anticipated improvements...

  • Low carbon generation

    Chart of the week | Now FiT export is going, what next?

    BEIS has stated that it intends to close the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) export for new small-scale generation. It has not ruled out intervention beyond 1 April 2019. However, it has placed the onus firmly on the industry to demonstrate why a guaranteed route to market has merit. BEIS’ plans were...

  • Regulation and policy

    Chart of the week | SMETS1 end date slipping through BEIS’s fingers

    This week's Chart of the week looks at the delays to the end of SMETS1 installations in favour of the new SMETS2 smart meters. To ensure the greater benefits SMETS2 offers BEIS proposed an end date on SMETS1 installations. After which the installation of SMETS1 meters would no longer count...