cost of living

British Gas has announced that it will extend its direct customer support scheme for prepayment meter customers to £20 million.

Distribution network operator (DNO), UK Power Networks (UKPN), has partnered with disability charity Scope to trial an energy voucher scheme for disabled people with credit meters.

The leaders of 34 British housing associations have called for more targeted government support to help low-income households struggling with the cost of living crisis this winter.

Energy suppliers across the UK have agreed to stop forcing vulnerable households onto prepayment meters after energy security secretary Grant Shapps called for an investigation into the issue.

The National Energy Action (NEA) charity has warned that next year’s statistics will “expose the full impact” of the energy crisis, despite the Office for National Statistics’(ONS) provisional winter mortality in England and Wales statistics for 2021 to 2022 showing the second lowest figure since 1950 to 1951 (13,400).

Research by Cornwall Insight into Britain’s power market out to 2030 has shown that energy prices will remain greater than £100/MWh annually, with highs of £150/MWh in winter 2025 due to delays to the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, increasing high-cost peaking capacity and nuclear power station closures.

New research published by Citizens Advice has found that 2022 saw 3.2 million people cut off from their energy supply due to being unable to top up their prepayment meter as the cost-of-living crisis continues to devastate UK households.

British Gas has released its first Net Zero Index which indicated over half of respondents (54%) doubt the UK will be able to reach net zero by 2050 instead believing 2075 is a more likely target.

​Energy UK has urged the UK Government to accelerate efforts to increase energy efficiency of homes in the next Budget with this regarded as crucial to reducing energy bills.

The UK’s net zero transition is set to be determined by homes and businesses adopting low carbon technologies (LCTs) in a bid to reduce energy bills amid the cost-of-living crisis.