ofgem

  • Business supply and services

    Supplier of Last Resort true-ups confirmed by Ofgem

    Ofgem has published its decision documents confirming the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) true-up claims submitted by energy suppliers and the amounts it has agreed as part of their SoLR levy claim. In this week’s 'Chart of the week', we review the SoLR true-up claims.

  • Business supply and services

    The first month of the EGL against a backdrop of falling wholesale prices

    The end of January means the end of the first month of the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL). First announced as part of the Autumn 2022 budget, the EGL places a 45% tax on generation receipts above £75/MWh for non-Contracts for Difference (CfD) renewable and nuclear generators until March 2028. In...

  • Home supply and services

    With wholesale prices falling, how many domestic customers are looking for better prices?

    In anticipation of supply contracts being offered below the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), what might happen to customer switching rates? In this week’s 'Chart of the week', we look at how many domestic consumers might be ready to switch when suppliers increasingly offer contracts below the price cap supported level,...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    What’s GoOing on with REGOs?

    The world of Green Certificates is a complex area of the energy sector and is set to become more-so as we head towards a period of major regulatory change in 2023. The EU’s Guarantee of Origins (GoOs) and GB’s equivalent Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGOs) are certificates proving the production...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Home supply and services

    No easy fix: tariff prices remain high

    In response to the unprecedented increases in global gas prices, Ofgem announced last week time limited measures “to help stabilise” the supply market. This includes a requirement for all domestic suppliers to offer existing customers the same tariffs available to new customers from 14 April, echoing changes made by the...

  • Home supply and services

    Ticking Clock

    With the political debate regarding energy prices and their impacts on the cost of living – not to mention the economy at large – the default tariff cap announcement for Summer 2022 from Ofgem at the start of next month is the most anticipated since the cap’s inception.

  • Commercial and market outlook

    CP19 of the RO sees record shortfall

    The perfect storm of challenging market conditions has persisted across the duration of the 2020-21 compliance period (CP) of the Renewables Obligation (RO), driving a large volume of supplier exits, particularly over recent months. As the dust settles on the compliance process relating to CP19 (2020-21) of the RO, this...

  • Home supply and services

    Domestic switching falls as the savings gap is squeezed

    With day-ahead gas reaching an all-time high of 187.50p/th as of 15 September, it has been a record-breaking summer for wholesale energy prices. This Chart of the Week explores the impact these high prices are having on domestic tariffs and consumer switching behaviour.

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | Green hair, green branches, green skin, green tariffs?

    In this 'Chart of the week', we look at how prevalent green supply has become, unpick some of the drivers behind this, and look at the challenges now facing consumers, suppliers and policy makers confronted by a sea of green.  Over recent years, we estimate the percentage of households with...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | SoLR process sees largest supplier exit

    This January saw the largest supplier exit through Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process. Green Network Energy ceased to trade on 27 January, with Ofgem appointing EDF Energy as SoLR for its 360,000 domestic customers shortly after. On the same day, the regulator announced the exit of Simplicity Energy,...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | SoLR process sees largest supplier exit

    This January saw the largest supplier exit through Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process. Green Network Energy ceased to trade on 27 January, with Ofgem appointing EDF Energy as SoLR for its 360,000 domestic customers shortly after. On the same day, the regulator announced the exit of Simplicity Energy,...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Chart of the week | Increasing electricity balancing costs and an increasing System Operator role

    Last week saw the publication of Ofgem's review of GB energy system operation. This makes recommendations that the roles and functions of the electricity and gas system operators need to change in light of net zero. In this week's 'Chart of the week', I wanted to focus on one aspect...

  • Regulation and policy

    Chart of the week | Ofgem Switching Programme regains momentum

    This 'Chart of the week' follows the seventh edition of Cornwall Insight’s Faster Switching Service (FSS), issued on Monday. Our FSS is designed to help readers understand Ofgem’s major industry programme to deliver faster and more reliable switching for consumers. The service comprises two elements: a walk-through of the entire...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | Is switching recovering after lockdown lows?

    Energy UK’s electricity switching statistics for October show that there were 591,156 supplier switches during the month. This figure is down 6% on October 2019, and is the lowest switching seen in an October since 2016. Yet, switching has reached a high for 2020 despite COVID-19, even though that high...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | COVID-19 research findings published ahead of strengthened consumer protections

    This 'Chart of the week' comes from Ofgem’s latest research on the impacts of COVID-19 measures on energy consumption and customer’s financial wellbeing. Published on 6 November, the findings presented come from the third wave of this research, with fieldwork being conducted in April, May, and October. While those reporting...

  • 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...

  • Regulation and policy

    Chart of the week | Back to the future: Non-compliance revisited

    In this 'Chart of the Week,' we look at areas of the supply licence that have been subject to compliance engagement from Ofgem from 2017 to 2020. We focus specifically on recurring issues including the rules around protecting prepayment meter (PPM) customers, complaints, and treating customers fairly.

  • Regulation and policy

    Chart of the week | The shifting sands of settlement

    Ofgem issued its draft impact assessment and consultation on Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) on 30 April. The MHHS significant code review (SCR), which has been running since July 2017, aims to utilise the smart meter rollout and reform the electricity settlement arrangements. These reconcile the difference between how much energy a...

  • Regulation and policy

    Chart of the week | Ofgem’s plans revised due to COVID-19

    On 16 April, Ofgem issued an online update on the re-planning of its priorities and workload over the coming months in light of the impacts of COVID-19. Please note that the deliverables presented in Figure 1 were not all necessarily due in April, rather this is to represent where we...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Chart of the week | Critical Link: Western HVDC & wind in the BM

    On 10 January, the Western Link HVDC suffered a fresh unplanned outage. This consequently prompted Ofgem to investigate National Grid Electricity Transmission and Scottish Power Transmission over the cable's delivery and operation. Coinciding with this outage was record-high levels of wind generation in Great Britain. This generation from transmission connected...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | One fifth of suppliers offering cheapest tariff have exited

    Since 2017, 15 suppliers have exited the domestic energy market through Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process. While the exits stem from a range of reasons, many of these companies are likely to have experienced problems in cashflow. These problems are often heightened by very cheap tariffs. This Chart...

  • Commercial and market outlook

    Chart of the week | Bang for your buck: consumer cost of policies

    In this week's Chart of the Week, we consider the cost for consumers of decarbonisation policies, as Ofgem recently published its State of the Market 2019 Report on 3 October, providing a comprehensive overview of the state of competition in the retail and wholesale energy markets. The report also assessed how...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | I want to break free – Ofgem’s Collective Switch results

    On 27 September, Ofgem published the final results of its five collective switch trials, which was administered by energyhelpline, held between February 2018 and April 2019. The trials were designed to test switching among disengaged customers and assess the impact of the default tariff cap on switching.  Our Chart of the Week explores...

  • Home supply and services

    Chart of the week | Could have had it all: enrolling in the DCC

    Earlier this week, the Smart Data and Communications Company (DCC) announced the installation of the two millionth SMETS2 meter. The installation was reportedly carried out by British Gas in a house in Surrey. However, with less than 15 months until the smart meter rollout deadline, and around one-third of household...

  • 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...