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Energy news

Brits pay unnecessary £1.3bn a year extra on energy bills (19-06-13)

If energy market became “level playing field”, households could save £50 a year, says supplier.

Energy efficiency saving estimate "unduly optimistic" (06-06-13)

New report also finds households will only save £31 a year under the Energy Bill rather than government’s estimate of £166.

Simpler energy tariff proposals ‘won’t work’ (05-06-13)

New plans to simplify energy tariffs are still too complicated, says Which?

Cavity wall installations collapse under Green Deal (30-05-13)

New figures reveal cavity wall installations fell 97% in April compared with the same month last year.

Budget-conscious Brits choose fixed energy tariffs (30-05-13)

Brits prefer to pay a premium to avoid price hike risk of variable tariff.

Building of new nuclear power station still deadlocked (29-05-13)

New Hinkley Point station bogged down in wrangles as ‘energy gap’ widens and bills increase.

Almost half of UK households owed money by energy supplier (23-05-13)

12 million households are owed a collective £1bn buy their energy provider.

SSE posts a 28% increase in profits (23-05-13)

SSE also warns customers are 'highly likely' to suffer further price hikes in the future.

Rising home energy bills could outstrip some mortgage payments (22-05-13)

By 2025, energy bills could reach £3,761, higher than some average annual mortgage repayments, says First Utility.

Half of Britain's drivers refuel their cars once a week (22-05-13)

Motorists spend £677million a year driving around searching for the best deal.

Fuel poverty drops to lowest level since 2008 (16-05-13)

4.5 million UK households in fuel poverty, twice as many as 10 years ago.

Government announces ‘acceleration’ of fracking for shale gas and oil (16-05-13)

Energy minister confirms new licensing round for oil and gas explorers will take place next year.

Half of Brits would struggle financially if energy bills increased (15-05-13)

An incense of just £24 a month would tip 26% of households over the edge financially.

EDF has highest rate of customer complaints of ‘big six’ (15-05-13)

Smaller energy companies enjoy higher rates of customer satisfaction, says Which?

New remote smartphone technology could cut household energy bills (09-05-13)

By embracing new technology, UK homes could save £300million a year by 2030.

EU energy sector needs €1trillion of investment over next ten years (02-05-13)

Energy companies reluctant to commit to investment so will hike household bills to pay for infrastructure.

Ofgem to investigate energy suppliers who missed efficiency targets (02-05-13)

Six energy companies failed to hand out enough free insulation to ‘vulnerable’ households.

Fixed-rate energy customers face bill shock as tariffs end (01-05-13)

Ignoring tariff end date means households could be £320 worse off.

Shale gas 'won’t reduce household energy bills' (01-05-13)

Fracking is not the “magic bullet” to solve the UK’s energy problems, say MPs.

New arrivals tot up energy bills for UK parents (25-04-13)

Two-thirds of new parents find energy use increases with baby's arrival, says research.

A third of your water bill is water company profit (25-04-13)

Water bills rise 64% in a decade as water companies’ profits rise.

First Utility hikes prices by 18% (24-04-13)

Blow to 50,000 recent customers who mainly signed up to escape the clutches of the ‘big six’.

Ofgem's energy tariff plans could cost you more (24-04-13)

Over 3 million households could end up paying over the odds for energy, says Which?.

Only 11,000 have so far claimed compensation for SSE mis-selling (18-04-13)

SSE expects only £1.5m of the £5m compensation fund to be claimed.

Energy companies admit they pay “very little” corporation tax (17-04-13)

Shock admission comes as MPs grill representatives of ‘big six’.

Super-efficient white goods could save Brits £24m a year (17-04-13)

Large appliances account for 42% of household electricity use, says charity.

Building of new nuclear power station by EDF under threat (11-04-13)

EDF’s finances are “in big trouble”, warns French energy expert.

Energy needs could be solved by ‘water splitting’ (11-04-13)

New invention could recharge phones and laptops as well as power homes.

Co-operative Energy announces 9% price increase (10-04-13)

Co-op to increase both gas and electricity prices while EFD launches new Price Promise tariff.

Households in debt to energy suppliers rise sharply (10-04-13)

Brits owe a collective £637 million, 33% up on last year.

Rising energy bills push up cost of running a home (03-04-13)

Energy and water bills have increased by 79% in five years while mortgage costs have fallen 21%.

SSE fined record £10.5m for widespread ‘doorstep’ mis-selling (03-04-13)

Customers misled by how much they could save by switching, while some sold more expensive tariffs.

Brits should brace themselves for a high winter energy bill (28-03-13)

A ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances could see some households’ pending energy bill double.

Petrol prices: Filling a tank breaks the £100 barrier (28-03-13)

The cost of filling up the average family car is now more than £100 in some areas of the UK.

Green Deal will mean lower energy bills says DECC (27-03-13)

But critics believe Brits will have to spend thousands upfront to reduce annual bill by just £166.

New nuclear power station finally gets green light (21-03-13)

But squabble over electricity price could mean higher bills for households.

Budget 2013: Fuel tax hike scrapped by Chancellor (21-03-13)

Osborne halts fuel duty increase and gives tax breaks to shale gas exploration.

Pampered pets hike their owners’ heating bills (20-03-13)

Over half of pet owners turn up the heating for their cat or dog when they go out.

Landlords forced to ‘go green’ could mean lower bills for tenants (14-03-13)

But landlords might pass on costs to tenants through higher energy bills.

Cold weather and price hike helps increase British Gas profits (14-03-13)

Shivering Brits and a price hike boosted the energy company’s profits by 11%.

UK’s failure to commit to low carbon energy is ‘driving up bills’ (14-03-13)

Influential committee says Coalition’s dithering over renewable energy is costing Brits dear.

Stalemate could delay new source of nuclear power (13-03-13)

Political dithering could cause household energy bills to soar.

Competition in the petrol market 'working well' says OFT (13-03-13)

Disappointed motoring and consumer groups say OFT has ‘failed to address’ forecourt price frustration.

Regulator demands simpler, clearer and fairer energy market (13-03-13)

Ofgem says suppliers should limit tariff numbers, kill off ‘dead tariffs’ and give Brits better deals

60% of Brits don’t trust their energy supplier (13-03-13)

Brits say poor value and lack of openness and transparency causes mistrust of energy companies.

Driving around for cheaper petrol is a waste of money (13-03-13)

Motorists warned that driving miles for cheap petrol is a false economy

npower profits soar to £390million (07-03-13)

Profits announced four months after hiking household bills by 9%

Energy companies increase margins on household bills (21-02-13)

EDF Energy and Scottish Power rack up big profits as 82% of Brits worry about their energy bills.

Closing down power stations will increase energy bills

Ofgem boss warns lack of generating capacity will force up households bills. (21-02-13)

Shale oil, like shale gas, could have the potential to cut household energy bills, new study finds.

Shale oil could add £50bn to UK economy (21-02-13)

Shale oil, like shale gas, could have the potential to cut household energy bills, new study finds.

Winter Fuel Payment: Should it be means tested? (14-02-13)

The money should not be given to affluent households say almost 50% of Brits.

Most complained-about energy company is EDF (13-02-13)

‘Big six’ suppliers received 1.4 million customer complaints in last three months of 2012.

High petrol prices force drivers to stay at home (11-02-13)

Half of us have reduced the amount we drive - or stopped completely - because of fuel costs.

Energy suppliers agree ‘back billing’ limit of 12 months (11-02-13)

Customers only liable for paying back a year's worth of underpayments.

Government blamed for UK's rising energy bills (11-02-13)

npower chief says ineffective schemes are responsible for soaring fuel costs.

Fuel poverty hits 4.5m households (11-02-13)

Energy bills feared by a record of 52% more people in East Midlands who worry they won't be able to afford them.

Small suppliers rank highest for customer satisfaction (08-02-13)

The 'big six' energy firms struggle to keep customers happy, Which? survey finds.

Brits miss out on £3.8bn by not switching energy supplier (08-02-13)

Cold snap arrives just as ‘big six’ price hikes take effect.

Green Deal beat by Nationwide energy efficiency offer (08-02-13)

Building society offers eco-conscious Brits more competitive loan terms with fewer strings attached.

Wind turbines protested against by green guru (07-02-13)

Professor James Lovelock opposes plans to erect 84-metre high wind turbine in his Devon village.

Petrol costs kept down by Scottish drivers (22-01-13)

Energy efficient driving as practiced by those north of the border can cut petrol bills by almost 10%.

Energy bills have doubled since 2005 (22-01-13)

Energy price rises will put more strain on households in 2013, says Saga

Energy bills could rise because of wind farm contracts (18-01-13)

MPs made “shocking errors” when awarding contracts for offshore wind farms.

Solar installers warned about high-pressure selling (17-01-13)

Watchdog cautions installation companies about ripping customers off.

Rising energy prices blamed for high inflation (17-01-13)

Current cold snap will hike bills even further.

Rising energy and petrol prices are Brits’ major worries (10-01-13)

Hard-pressed households live in fear of soaring energy bills and forecourt prices.

Small energy suppliers offer better deals (09-01-13)

Energy tiddlers with lower overheads dominate 'best buy' tables for competitive deals.

MPs criticise Ofgem for being soft on energy suppliers (20-12-12)

Retail market should be more competitive with fewer tariffs, and Brits should be encouraged to switch supplier.

Fracking given the green light by the DECC (18-12-12)

Shale gas exploration, which has the potential to reduce gas costs, resumes in UK.

Higher energy bills for households in 2013 (17-12-12)

Office for Budget Responsibility factors a 5% increase into its inflation calculations for 2013.

Energy bills to rise as new gas power stations needed (17-12-12)

Government’s 'green' energy bill is actually underwritten by emergency gas production.

npower fined for making ‘abandoned calls’ (17-12-12)

Communications regulator punishes energy supplier for harassing consumers with recorded messages.

E.ON Energy hikes prices by 8.7% (17-12-12)

The energy supplier becomes the final ‘big six’ energy company to increase its prices in recent weeks.

Energy bills up by £30 a month due to cold weather (11-12-12)

Cold weather increases energy bills just as EDF price increase kicks in.

Rising energy and petrol prices major worry for many (6-12-12)

Low income families spend 23% of income on energy, while others face ‘heat or eat’ dilemma.

Winter fuel bills up 63% in 5 years (28-11-12)

Heating supplies cost for this winter increased from £360 to £587 since 2008.

E.ON forced to reimburse overcharged customers (28-11-12)

Regulator forces E.ON to reimburse £1.4m to over-charged customers.

Energy Company Obligation will hit bill payers hard (22-11-12)

Report says government initiative to help vulnerable households will hike bills for majority.

Energy bills a struggle for 2.5m households (22-11-12)

Homeowners fearful of rising costs and 40% believe they are in fuel poverty.

1 in 10 households entitled to help with fuel bills (21-11-12)

3.4 million households unaware they are eligible for financial help with energy bills.

Gas suppliers owed £179m by overdue UK households (21-11-12)

But they owe overpaying households £668million, which earns £12million a year interest.

Government orders energy companies to offer simpler tariffs (21-11-12)

But will simpler tariffs necessarily mean cheaper tariffs?

British Gas price hike takes effect (15-11-12)

As British Gas increases its prices tomorrow, trading statement hints at ‘double digit’ profits.

SSE unveils 38% rise in half-year profits (15-11-12)

Profits up before SSE customers hit with 9% increase for gas and electricity.

How much will it cost to defrost your car this winter? (14-11-12)

Brits will waste £50m in fuel defrosting their cars despite feeling ‘stressed’ about rising petrol costs.

New technology could make energy smart meters obsolete (8-11-12)

Smart meter roll-out delayed so long that new ‘smarter’ technology could supersede it.

Minister praises benefits of smart meters (8-11-12)

But energy industry still can’t agree meter technology or firm date for roll-out.

AA develops emergency ‘gallon of electricity’ (1-11-12)

AA gears up for electric car breakdowns by developing the equivalent of a 'gallon of petrol'

Brits most worried about rising energy and petrol prices (1-11-12)

Latest Which? Consumer Report finds price of fuel, energy and food main 'worries' for consumer.

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