Utility Week

Customers UTILITY WEEK | 8TH - 14TH MARCH 2019 | 27 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered a renewable energy consultancy to remove a "misleading and unsubstantiated" claim about government policy on oil from its website. A poster titled "Renewable Heat – the Facts" for Surrey- based ReEnergise contained the text "Don't forget, it's now gov- ernment policy that oil is to be ENERGY ASA says renewable energy consultancy misled public on oil policy outlawed from estates by 2030 and the heat subsidy qualifica- tion deadline is April 2021." Two claimants, the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) and the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (both trade asso- ciations for the oil distribution industry), challenged whether the claim about outlawing oil was misleading and could be substantiated. The ruling published by the ASA on 27 February considered that consumers were likely to understand the claim, which relied on a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Clean Growth Strategy paper from 2017, to be an objective statement that there was current government policy intended to prohibit the use of oil from estates by 2030. This week Households urged to take Netflix approach Public advised to view consumption of energy in a similar way to their use of streaming services Households that make the most of smart meter technology and adopt more of a "Netflix" approach to consuming energy could slash their annual bills by up to 20 per cent, according to a new report. The research, published by consultancy Delta-ee on behalf of Smart Energy GB, the inde- pendent campaign set up to support the rollout of smart meters, says the opportunities presented by tariffs that reward customers for using energy at off-peak times, automatic switching services and the ability to sell excess energy generated from the home are growing and stand to save consumers more than £200 a year. In particular, it urges households to view their consumption of energy in a similar way to their use of on-demand services such as Spotify and Netflix. Dr Andrew Turton, principal analyst at Delta-ee, said focusing on reducing energy consumption was no longer enough to stimulate consumer interest in smart meters. "The reality is, people can save money but savings depend on their level of engagement," said Turton. "The way that the energy system is changing and has to change means that people want a service. "Smart meters open up a whole host of new services to customers which can benefit their lives and reduce their costs. Without smart meters, customers will be locked out of this future," Turton added. Igloo Energy chief executive Matt Clemow said its own research showed that many UK households were still sceptical about the benefits of smart meters. "[The] data from Smart Energy GB shows there are huge sav- ings to be made and we hope it encourages more people to get one installed," he said. RW ENERGY Challenger suppliers 'have hiked prices' Challenger brands have been accused of following the big six's lead and hiking up energy prices, following the announcement of a new cap level. An analysis by the website Uswitch.com claims many smaller suppliers have increased their standard variable tariffs (SVTs) in line with Ofgem's revised price cap on default tariffs of £1,254, which will come into effect on 1 April. All the big six energy sup- pliers have already raised their SVTs in line with the cap rise. The analysis claims 15 million standard credit and prepayment customers have already had a £1.7 billion price increase confirmed for April. It adds Ovo Energy customers on SVTs will see a 10 per cent rise in April, which will also affect customers on its white label brands. It also claims Bristol Energy, Tonik and Toto have announced increases of up to £144 for their credit meter standard variable customers, while prepayment customers with Bristol Energy, First Utility, Tonik and Toto will see their bills increase by up to £108 per year. Co-op Energy and Ebico have also announced price hikes. But challenger supplier Bulb is bucking the trend with an average £20 per year price cut. "Challenger energy suppliers have largely followed the trend set by the big six and announced hikes to their standard tariffs," said Uswitch.com's energy expert Rik Smith. "Against this backdrop, Bulb's decision to cut prices is all the more eye-catching. "Since Ofgem raised the level of the price cap, price increases have been confirmed by all of the big six plus nine smaller providers. More will likely follow suit before the bill hikes take effect on 1 April," added Smith. WATER 'Fine to flush' wet wipes welcomed Water UK has welcomed the news that the first wet wipes to be accredited with the "fine to flush" symbol will soon be avail- able to buy to help in the fight against fatbergs. The Water Resource Centre, which tests wet wipes to see if they meet the new national standard set by Water UK on 11 January 2019, presented the first certification to Susie Hew- son, the founder and owner of Natracare, last month. The new "safe to flush moist tissue" has been three years in development. "Eco-warrior" Hewson said the development and research conducted by Natracare "proves to the industry that there is absolutely no reason that wipes can't be flushable, environmen- tally conscious and have no negative impact on our water network". On the table: energy savings of up to 20 per cent While the document did out- line the government's policy to reduce the use of fossil fuels in heating by 2030, which included oil, the ASA considered that the paper only showed government intention to phase out the use of oil as opposed to completely prohibiting it. It concluded that the claim had not been substan- tiated, was therefore misleading and must not appear again.

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