11 April, 2023 – The think tank, New Economics Foundation, has criticized the government’s offering of support for rising energy bills. The think tank states that by April 2024 existing support will even be gone and bills will potentially be left at 70% above pre-crisis standards.
10 April, 2023 – Close to £465,000 was spent by the Treasury on an unused emergency scheme for energy traders. The scheme was founded under Liz Truss and has only been unveiled after the Guardian newspaper submitted a freedom of information request.
8 April, 2023 – The Association of Convenience Stories has provided a stark warning that shops are in danger of going bankrupt if subsidies are substantially reduced this month. The UK government states it has spent £5.6bn supporting businesses but many highlight that they are still struggling.
7 April, 2023 – An established fish and chip shop of 25 years has had to close for business as a result of spiraling costs. The business faced an unsustainable annual energy bill of £27,000 after government support was reduced on the 1st of April.
7 April, 2023 – Cheltenham Borough Council have announced their plans to reduce the carbon emissions of their property portfolio by using solar energy and a heat pump system. The council hopes this will help them achieve their overall aim of being net zero by 2030.
6 April, 2023 – The National Grid ESO continues to strive towards its ambition of being a fully decarbonised network by 2025 by completing work on 12 zero carbon units that will provide inertia to the network and ensure stability. The units provide £128m in consumer savings and slash CO2 emissions by 6m tonnes.
6 April, 2023 – More than 30 academics, researchers and NGO representatives have criticized the UK government’s recent Green Finance Strategy, attacking the plan for its lack of meaningful action on the expansion of fossil fuels. The critiquing group have written to Grant Shapps, Secretary for Energy Security and Net-Zero, to take firmer action.
6 April, 2023 – Last year, Ripple Energy launched a wind turbine in what was the UK’s first consumer-owned renewable generation project. The project allowed individuals to buy shares of a renewable generation site for a minimum of £25 and one user reported their electricity bill only cost £1.50 in November 2022.
6 April, 2023 – Plans have been launched by a council to construct Wales’ largest publicly owned solar farm. The project is expected to cost between £12m and £16m, with the predicted output enough to power 6,000 homes. The 2o megawatt solar farm will be located near Penyrheol, Caerphilly County.
31 March, 2023 – Research institute, Cornwall Insight, has highlighted that businesses that fixed their energy contracts at the peak of the energy market last year, could be facing a drastic increase in bills from April 2023. It is reported that the increase could be as high as 133%.
