Energy

 Ofgem has opened a consultation inviting views on their proposal to introduce a 12-month backbilling licence obligation. The licence obligation would benefit microbusinesses and domestic consumers.

Ofgem have launched a call for evidence on whether they should impose a limit on how long suppliers can backbill for and whether such a limit should apply to non-domestic consumers as well as domestic.

The Water Services Regulation Authority has opened a consultation on the proposed changes to third party intermediaries voluntary code of conduct.

Ofwat are consulting on their proposed approach to monitoring the new business retail water market. The new market will mean more than 1.2 million eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations in England will be able to choose who supplies their water and wastewater retail services.

The Competition and Markets Authority has launched a consultation on one of their remedies following their inquiry into the energy market. The CMA are consulting on their proposal to prompt people and microbusinesses to switch energy supplier if they have been on a default tariff for more than three years.

As part of the Competition and Market Authority’s investigation into the energy market, they published a number of provisional remedies which could address challenges  identified.

The remedies include helping microbusinesses through improved price transparency, tackling ‘rollover’ contracts with greater notice periods and ending termination fees which prevent switching as well as moves to prompt and engage.

Ofwat has launched a consultation on their draft Code of Practice for the non-domestic market. The Code provides protections for non-domestic customers by requiring price transparency from suppliers, restricting back billing and limiting the use of auto-rollover contracts.

Following the announcement of a review of the business energy efficiency tax landscape at the Summer Budget, this consultation seeks evidence from a number of stakeholders and sets out policy proposals to simplify and improve the effectiveness of the landscape in supporting the Government’s objectives around simplicity, productivity, security of energy supplies and decarbonisation.

The proposals set out in this consultation document do not seek to address all the barriers but set out approaches to improving the effectiveness of the policy framework by:

Smart billing was identified as a key focus area for Ofgem’s Consumer Empowerment and Protection project. Ofgem are now consulting on a number of measures that they think will help achieve the right consumer outcomes for smart billing.

Smart Energy GB has opened a consultation that looks at informing their approach to engaging with microbusinesses in Great Britain to ensure as many of them as possible can benefit from the transformation in the smart meter roll out in the way the organisation buys and uses gas and electricity.