Sign Up
Log in

Policy & regulation

Latest updates and analysis on how government and regulators' decisions will impact the sector 

Latest in Policy & regulation

Thames: We started too late to meet PR19 commitments
Thames Water has left too much work to complete in the current asset management period to meet all its performance commitments , Cathryn Ross has told an online meeting for billpayers. The interim co-CEO acknowledged that the company has an asset deficit but denied that consumers had paid for work that had not been delivered.
News
Fines for missing new heat pump mandate cut by £2,000
The government has cut the fines boiler manufacturers will have to pay if they fail to meet targets for its new scheme to boost the production of heat pumps. The change is one of a number of moves to ease requirements on manufacturers under the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, which resembles the Zero Emissions Mandate being introduced in the car market.
News
Ofgem extends blackout protection for critical sites
Ofgem has approved a modification to the Grid Code that will further protect critical sites from being disconnected during emergency load shedding. The decision will allow distribution network operators to exclude protected sites such utilities, hospitals and railways from the second tranche of demand they disconnect when instructed to do so by the Electricity System Operator.
News
Ministers extend fast track planning rules for rooftop solar
The government has extended ‘fast track’ planning rules for installing rooftop solar panels. The changes to permitted development rights will enable more homeowners and businesses to install solar panels on their roofs without having to go through the planning system.
News
EA records slip in ‘excellent’ bathing water quality
A slight dip in the number of designated bathing areas being classified as excellent or good this year has been attributed by the Environment Agency to an unseasonably wet summer. Overall, 96% of locations met the regulator's required standards.
News
‘Revolt’ fears inform UK net zero policies
Fears that the public would “revolt” against strict net zero policies is informing the government’s "pragmatic approach", energy secretary Claire Coutinho has revealed. Coutinho said that the government was keeping a close watch on backlashes against European governments’ net zero policies.
News
Energy retailers to join shared PSR in Q1 2024
A truly joined-up priority services register for water and energy companies is to finally become a reality in the first quarter of 2024 as retailers start sharing their data on vulnerable customers, Utility Week understands. In a milestone moment for the sector, energy suppliers will switch from a process of explicitly asking customers for consent to share their data to one in which the substantial public interest clause is used to comply with data protection laws.
News
Yorkshire Water pays record £1m civil sanction
Yorkshire Water has paid out £1 million to environmental groups in relation to a historic pollution incident caused by a blocked storm overflow. The water company voluntarily offered to pay £500,000 to both the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and to Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and has completed upgrades to the sewer network in the area worth £1.85 million.
News
Scottish heat upgrade plan labelled a ‘time bomb’
Scottish Government plans that could give the country’s homeowners and businesses two years to rip out their fossil fuel heating systems have been branded a “time bomb” by the opposition Conservatives. A consultation on a proposed Heat and Buildings Bill, outlines a swathe of tough new targets for accelerating uptake of energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures north of the border. It confirms that the use of “polluting” fossil fuel heating systems will be prohibited after 2045.
News
Utilita sees 800% jump in support credit payments
Prepayment meter (PPM) specialist energy supplier Utilita has told Utility Week that it has seen an almost 800% increase in the amount of additional support credit (ASC) it provides to customers over the past three years. Commenting on the stats Utilita’s non-executive chair Derek Lickorish said the data highlights that "households are running on empty, their financial resilience destroyed".
News
Heat pump grant applications soar
The number of applications made to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) has soared in the weeks after grants were increased to £7,500. An additional 1,150 new applications were received during the week commencing 23 October, three times as many as the weekly average received so far this year. Speaking to Utility Week, Heat Pump Federation director Bean Beanland said he expects the recent surge in demand to remain for the foreseeable.
News
ESO permitted to delay release of strategic network plan
Ofgem has permitted the Electricity System Operator (ESO) to delay the release of multiple documents that will form part of its second transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan. The ESO requested the deferral to give it time to go over the plan with the government and transmission owners and make changes based on their feedback.
News
Close
Clear
Close

Request a call back