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Editor's picks

Sibling rivalry: How Octopus differentiates its white labels
Although both are white labels of Octopus, M&S and Co-Op Energy manage to outperform their parent company on customer service rankings. Utility Week asked Octopus Energy’s Rebecca Dibb-Simkin why this is, and what approach the company has taken to integrating two household brands into a disruptor model.
Interviews
Good Energy appoints new CEO
Good Energy has announced the appointment of Nigel Pocklington, former chief commercial officer of Moneysupermarket Group, as its new chief executive. The disruptor brand announced in February that its founder and chief executive Juliet Davenport was to step down after 20 years.
News

Featured

GHG failure has set back energy efficiency
The government’s attempt to bury the news that it was axing the Green Homes Grant was emblematic of a muddled approach throughout what should have been a flagship green recovery plan, writes David Blackman.
Comment
New RO mutualisation arrangements come into force
New arrangements to link the renewables obligation (RO) mutualisation threshold to the annual cost of the scheme have come into effect. Mutualisation has long been a source of contention in the energy sector, with compliant suppliers obliged to pick up the shortfall when others do not pay. BEIS is also considering whether changes need to be made to the way the mutualisation amount is calculated.
News
So Energy falls out of Citizens Advice top 10
Disruptor brand So Energy has plunged out of the top 10 in Citizens Advice’s star ratings table after a three-year run as one of the market’s most highly-rated retailers. The charity has released its final quarterly ratings for 2020 which reveal how well the majority of the market performed over the year.
News

Latest in Energy retail

The local push to build smart communities
Local authorities are facing the dual pressures of boosting investment and decreasing emissions. However, these goals are not mutually exclusive. As part of our Countdown to COP series, SSE’s Stephen Stead looks at how forward-thinking councils are seeking to use the post-Covid economic recovery to modernise their energy infrastructure.
Opinion
Current system ‘doesn’t value storage and flexibility’
The ability to navigate the peaks and troughs of an increasingly intermittent energy system requires long-term thinking about storage and flexibility. But, as experts tell David Blackman for the latest feature in our Countdown to COP series, substantial work is still needed to introduce the right market structures.
Analysis
Good Energy appoints youth board  
Renewable power retailer Good Energy has appointed a youth board of six secondary school pupils to give their perspectives on climate issues. The supplier worked with environmental educational charity Eco-Schools to recruit its Good Future Board which was narrowed down from almost 1,000 applications from pupils across the country.
News
Weekend press round-up: CMA dispute costs water groups £26m
In our latest review of sector coverage across the national newspapers, the cost of the four appeals against Ofwat’s PR19 determinations is analysed. Meanwhile, Scottish Power discusses plans for Britain’s largest green hydrogen production facility and Shell sets out its strategy to install 5,000 rapid and ultra-rapid electric vehicle chargers across the country by 2025.
News
Net zero: Three stumbling blocks to delivery
As part of Utility Week's Countdown to COP campaign, former Ofgem chief executive Dermot Nolan highlights three things the government should consider in balancing the need for a rapid transformation of the energy system alongside the responsibility to keep costs down for consumers.
Opinion
Octopus deal sees Shell Recharge join EV network
Octopus Energy has penned a deal with Shell- backed electric vehicle (EV) solutions company NewMotion which will see the latter’s chargepoints join its Electric Juice network (EJN). NewMotion has access to more than 3,200 chargepoints over 17 different networks across the UK. In total, it allows access to more than 200,000 chargepoints across Europe.
News
Ovo targets 40% of supply from PPAs by year end
Ovo Energy has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Orsted in a bid to further strengthen its renewable energy credentials. Ovo, which already provided 100 per cent REGO-backed renewable electricity, said it expected the deal to mean 13 per cent of its electricity will be generated via a PPA.
News
Taking the heat out of the debate
Local elections have meant a further delay to the publication of the keenly anticipated Heat and Buildings Strategy. Energy UK’s Charles Wood discusses what could, and should, be included when the strategy is finally revealed.
Opinion
Fighting an invisible enemy: consumer debt and utilities
Debt and collections leaders in utilities remain braced for the wave of debt and affordability woes they know will come with the end of government’s coronavirus support measures. Are they armed with the right products, resources and data to service the new scale and profile of customers in arrears?
Downloads
Weekend press round-up: How green are ‘green’ energy tariffs?
In our latest review of sector coverage across the national newspapers, there is further debate about the concept of greenwashing. Meanwhile, the public has been warned that radiators will have to run 10 degrees cooler under changes to homes needed for Britain to hit net zero.
News
GHG failure has set back energy efficiency
The government’s attempt to bury the news that it was axing the Green Homes Grant was emblematic of a muddled approach throughout what should have been a flagship green recovery plan, writes David Blackman.
Comment
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