Utility Week

Top stories today (£) ⏸️ Heat network regulation likely to be delayed until 2026 https://buff.ly/4dLqYo9 The long-awaited introduction of regulation to the heat networks industry could be pushed back into 2026 by the recently-elected government. Utility Week has learned that the government has "been working on a new timeline" which it plans to share in the next few months. A delay until 2026 would mean that heat network consumers would be left with little in the way of consumer protection provisions for an additional winter. 👨👩👧👦 What utilities can learn from banking on supporting the vulnerable https://buff.ly/3NdzAIY Utility Week brought together customer service experts across utilities and people living with multiple vulnerabilities to discuss how the sector is responding to their needs. Here are some key takeaways. ⚡ Domestic flexibility compliance scheme needed to protect consumers https://buff.ly/3Bq2ZgB A compliance scheme for providers of domestic flexibility, including energy suppliers, should be established to protect consumers, build trust in the emerging industry and, if needed, lay the foundations for formal regulation. That’s the finding of a new report produced as part of the Ofgem-funded HOMEflex project, which has already seen the creation of a code of conduct for providers of flexibility from homes and microbusinesses.

Top stories today (£) 💷 Ofgem proposes cap and floor on generators’ transmission charges https://buff.ly/3ZGOEGI Ofgem has proposed a temporary cap and floor on transmission charges on generators to give them enough certainty to make the investments needed to decarbonise the power sector by 2030. The regulator said an upper and lower limit would help to alleviate their long-running concerns over the volatility and unpredictability of the charges, which it said are deterring investment and raising financing costs. 🏡 Minister slams ‘mad’ energy efficiency standards https://buff.ly/4eMeGwm Building homes that must be retrofitted in as few as five years’ time is “madness”, the new energy retail minister has said in a hint that the government will push ahead with publication of its long mooted Future Homes Standard (FHS). Miatta Fahnbulleh said the government had set itself the twin “big goals” of delivering 1.5 million homes over the next five years while improving the quality of new dwellings. ⚡ Fintan Slye: NESO launch represents an exciting new chapter https://buff.ly/4eM10BK As the National Energy System Operator (NESO) officially launches, its chief executive Fintan Slye writes for Utility Week on the scale of the challenge facing this new organisation and its important remit.

Top stories today (£) 📰 Weekend Press: List of possible Thames Water rescue backers revealed https://buff.ly/4gD0VSu In our latest round-up of national media coverage of the utilities sector, three potential investors emerge as Thames Water desperately seeks a cash injection and The Labour Party comes under fire for referring to “economically illiterate” analysis to argue against the nationalisation of the sector. Elsewhere, interest in electric vehicles slumps to a four-year low and the threat to marine birdlife blows Scotland’s offshore wind plans off course. ☢️ Use axed coal mine site for small nuclear reactors, MP urges https://buff.ly/3ZHWpfu Land previously earmarked for a new coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria, should be repurposed to house other forms of energy generation such as small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). That is according to the area’s MP Josh MacAlister MP who has called for rules to be loosened around the citing of nuclear power plants. MacAlister also identified two other potential sites which would be “ideal locations” for the deployment of SMRs, including Grangemouth and Port Talbot. 💡 Most households still served by suppliers with subpar customer service ratings https://buff.ly/4eqTtbQ The majority of UK households are still served by energy suppliers with below average customer service ratings, Citizens Advice has revealed. While the consumer charity’s latest star ratings table shows that customer service has returned to pre-energy crisis levels, three in five households are still served by suppliers which scored below average. 🎯 Stark lack of focus on energy demand in meeting 2030 target https://buff.ly/47TXkM4 In the 12 weeks Labour has been in power, the new government has taken some positive steps to achieve its target of net zero power 2030. However, Thermal Storage UK founder Tom Lowe argues that the lack of focus on energy demand is an area which warrants much more attention.

👨💻 Digital Weekly: Labour promises power to the people Energy was a key theme at The Labour Party’s conference this week and Utility Week was there to cover the announcements, gauge the mood and hear the gossip. Our latest round-up also looks at how transmission operators are contributing to the government’s 2030 green grid target. Plus, we asked a panel of vulnerable customers for their unvarnished opinions on utilities and what the sector can learn from banking. https://buff.ly/3XAjnlW

Top stories today (£) ⚡Government goes ‘back to the drawing board’ on pounds for pylons https://buff.ly/4evL2vo The government is going “back to the drawing board” on community benefit packages for grid upgrades, an energy minister has revealed. It comes as Michael Shanks branded existing proposals, often dubbed 'pounds for pylons', as “tokenistic”, adding that he wanted to see the benefits for communities “broaden out” beyond the pots of money proposed by the previous government. 💧 Thames now ‘highly likely’ to default on debts in coming months https://buff.ly/3XFujiw S&P Global and Moody's have both slashed their credit ratings for Thames Water after the company admitted last week that it may run out of cash by December. Moody's said Thames’ worsening liquidity and difficulties in attracting new equity investment means it is now “highly likely” to default on its debts in the coming months. 🎯 Grid decarbonisation target sparks Whitehall tensions, minister admits https://buff.ly/3BhNuaC The government’s laser focus on decarbonising the grid is inevitably causing cross-departmental tensions, an energy minister has admitted. Energy minister Lord Hunt said it would be “childish” to pretend that Whitehall departments do not butt heads when it comes to the delivery of the government’s 2030 clean power mission. In particular, Hunt said that tensions are emerging between his department and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs around the environmental impact of building new infrastructure, when speaking at a fringe session at The Labour Party Conference.

Electrification is transforming the landscape, driven by: 1️⃣ Increased demand from EVs and other electric technologies 2️⃣ Growing integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) 3️⃣ Evolving policies and procedures 4️⃣ Rapid technology testing and integration Read our new How Do I created by Utility Week in association with S&C Electric Company: How do I build a more resilient and reliable grid throughout the energy transition? Read here: https://bit.ly/3B62Qin #Utilities #EnergyTransition

Top stories today (£) 💷 Is it time to lower the grant level for heat pumps? https://buff.ly/3ZDIhnC The chief executive of the Energy Systems Catapult has suggested that it is time to review the grant level offered through the boiler upgrade scheme (BUS). Guy Newey said that decreasing heat pump installation costs coupled with greater uptake from the public indicates that it may now be time to lower the grant level, when questioned by Utility Week at The Labour Party Conference. As well as calls to review the grant level, politicians and industry figures have also supported calls for the BUS to be extended to cover technologies including hybrid heating systems and heat batteries. 💧 Smart Energy GB’s remit could be expanded to include water https://buff.ly/4ehtPGb Smart Energy GB’s remit could be expanded to promote the benefits of smart water metering, an Ofwat-commissioned report has suggested. The water regulator has been urged to either commission Smart Energy GB to carry our the role or to set up an equivalent organisation to assist with the rollout of smart water meters. The recommendations have been made in a report by Baringa, which outlines a number of lessons that water suppliers can learn from the energy sector in delivering smart meters for consumers. 📈 Miliband hails hint that Treasury will relax spending rules https://buff.ly/3TIPWNr Ed Miliband claims that Rt Hon Rachel Reeves’ speech at the Labour Party Conference is “one of the most significant things” that a chancellor has said in the 29 years that he has been attending the party’s annual get together. In particular, the energy secretary hailed the “significant” indication from Reeves that HM Treasury will move away from cost-based decision making. In her keynote speech to the conference, Reeves said that “growth is the challenge and investment is the solution”.

There’s no denying water companies have their work cut out in AMP8. But could digitalisation and data come to the rescue to address these challenges? Read Transforming service in the water sector – The power of data, a new Utility Week Intelligence report in association with Expleo, to learn about the digitalisation experiences of Yorkshire Water, Portsmouth Water and Northumbrian Water. Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3Tz4nDP #Utilities #Expleo

Top stories today (£) ⚡ Energy minister pledges ‘much more support’ for local energy plans https://buff.ly/4deGWXu The government will provide “much, much more support” for local authorities to draw up energy plans in the coming months and years. Energy minister Michael Shanks made the pledge when quizzed by Utility Week at The Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. Shanks stopped short of committing to a mandate on local area energy plans (LAEPs), however he confirmed that central government was looking at how it can support more local authorities develop their plans. 💡 New arrangements to ensure customers on microgrids can switch supplier https://buff.ly/4eAZ3rx Ofgem has given the green light to a modification to the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) to ensure household and small business customers on microgrids are able to switch to a third-party supplier. Although there are already arrangements in place to enable them to do so, the regulator said it has seen “no evidence” that this has happened since the arrangements came into effect in 2011. The approval marks the first time a trial conducted through the BSC Sandbox has resulted in a permanent regulatory change. 💧 Water firms need to stop playing the victim https://buff.ly/47DbNfa The war of words between Ofwat and water companies over spending plans risks further undermining public trust in the sector, according to the head of the water customer watchdog. Speaking to Utility Week, CCW's Mike Keil outlines why he believes water companies need to stop playing the victim.

The most important calendar event of the year for senior leaders in UK utilities! Find out more and secure your place at Utility Week Forum, 19-20 November, London, today: https://bit.ly/4cmzTfo