Energy price cap 'slashed' by 17%

Local, national, international and oddball news stories

Energy price cap 'slashed' by 17%

Postby rebbonk » Thu May 25, 2023 10:06 am

Energy price cap slashed by 17% ‒ millions to see lower energy bills

Typical households on default energy tariffs will see their energy bills drop by £426 a year following today's energy price cap drop.

Millions of households are set to see their energy bills drop after Ofgem, the energy regulator, lowered the Energy Price Cap.

The cap has been reduced from its previous level of £3,280 to £2,074, with the new cap applying from July to September. It is also cheaper than the government’s Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which currently takes the average typical bill to £2,500 and has been the default tariff for households.

Today’s news means households will pay around 17% less than they are currently paying under the EPG.

Ofgem, which sets the cap, said that the reduction was the result of the falling cost of gas and electricity on the wholesale markets. The regulator pointed out that for the first time in 18 months, energy prices are now falling for those on default tariffs.

Jonathan Brearley, CEO of Ofgem, said: “After a difficult winter for consumers it is encouraging to see signs that the market is stabilising and prices are moving in the right direction. People should start seeing cheaper energy bills from the start of July, and that is a welcome step towards lower costs.”

How much will the Energy Price Cap Cost?

The latest energy price cap takes the average typical bill £2,074. But this figure does not represent the maximum you will pay, it is based on average typical use for those on a dual tariff. The cap represents a lid on the unit rate.

These will be the new direct debit unit rates for energy from July.

Electricity

Unit rate: 30p per kWh (previously 33.2p kWh)
Standing charge: 53p per day

Gas

Unit rate: 8p per kWh (previously 10.3p kWh)
Standing charge: 29p per day

Ofgem says these rates can vary by region.

Today’s energy price cap announcement will take effect from 1 July to 30 September 2023.

The cap is revised every three months, so a new rate will kick in from October.

The next announcement is due in August.

The return of fixed energy tariffs?

There is hope that the lower Energy Price Cap, and the reduced wholesale costs of energy generally, will see suppliers begin to start offering fixed energy tariffs again. These have traditionally been a good way to keep your energy bill at affordable levels, but almost no suppliers currently offer them - though this is likely to change with the energy price cap drop.

But whether you should fix or not is a gamble as we do not know where energy prices will go this year. Forecasts from the analysts at Cornwall Insight suggest that it is likely to be set at around £1,960 for the final three months of 2023, and then £2,026 for the opening quarter of 2024, but these are just predictions at this stage.

The Energy Price Cap and the Energy Price Guarantee

The Energy Price Cap was launched back under Theresa May’s premiership, and applies only to standard variable tariffs (SVT), also known as default tariffs.

These are the energy deals you move onto after your initial fixed or variable tariff period has ended, and was traditionally more expensive. Because of this cost hike, the price cap was introduced as a means of protecting households that didn’t regularly switch tariffs from being overcharged by suppliers.

However, as energy suppliers started to collapse in recent years and the surviving suppliers stopped offering new fixed tariffs, it has meant that most households are now on SVT and so subject to the Energy Price Cap.

The energy crisis pushed wholesale prices of gas and electricity to record highs, and this was reflected in increases to the Energy Price Cap. The cap had been forecast to be set above £3,000 last autumn, which is when the government stepped in with the launch of the Energy Price Guarantee.

This new measure froze the unit cost of gas and electricity that households would pay, and instead meant that a typical household would spend around £2,500 on their energy bills a year.

The latest Energy Price Cap update is the first time that the price cap has been set below the Energy Price Guarantee, meaning it takes over in dictating to suppliers what they can charge households.

As a result the typical household will spend around £500 less courtesy of the new cap than they would have done under the Energy Price Guarantee.

Source: https://moneyweek.com/investments/commodities/energy/605916/ofgem-cuts-energy-price-cap
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
User avatar
rebbonk
 
Posts: 65590
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:01 am

Re: Energy price cap 'slashed' by 17%

Postby dutchman » Thu May 25, 2023 3:42 pm

Energy bills set to stay high despite price cap cut

Image

Energy bills are set to remain high despite a cut in prices from July, experts have warned.

A typical household will pay £2,074 a year for gas and electricity from July, £426 a year less than currently, after the regulator cut the energy price cap for England, Scotland and Wales.

Government help in recent months has limited bills to £2,500.

However, prices are not expected to fall much further over the rest of the year, and could edge up in winter.

MoneySavingExpert's Martin Lewis said that later on in 2023 bills would be similar to last winter because, although prices are cheaper, households will not get the same £400 discount from the government they previously received.

"People will still be paying double what they used to pay before the energy crisis hit," he added.

Kate Mulvany, from energy analysis firm Cornwall Insight, also said further substantial falls in bills would be unlikely particularly if there was a cold winter across Europe with the UK competing to buy energy with other countries.

"Our forecasts suggest until the end of this decade, higher and more volatile prices are going to be seen, and that includes the impact they're going to have on domestic bills unfortunately," she told the BBC's Today programme.

Earlier this week, Qatar's energy minister warned the "worst is yet to come" for gas shortages in Europe, suggesting prices could rise again.

Despite the cut to the price cap, charity National Energy Action said that 6.5 million people would still be in fuel poverty. The typical bill from July will still be much higher than in the winter of 2021 when it stood at £1,277 a year. Charity Citizens Advice described that as "unaffordable for millions of people".

And Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said customers would still be paying roughly the same for their energy as last winter.

"And after months of inflation and the wider cost of living crisis, people are even less able to afford these high energy bills," he said.

Labour's shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband said energy bills "remain eye-wateringly high, almost double what they were 18 months ago, and families and businesses across the country will continue to struggle to make ends meet".

:bbc_news:
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50296
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End


Return to News

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests

  • Ads