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The price cap will return to pre-pandemic levels from 1 April 2021, mainly due to changes in wholesale energy prices, Ofgem has announced today. The price cap seeks to protect consumers who have not switched energy supplier by ensuring they pay a fair price for their electricity and gas. Ofgem adjusts the level of the cap up or down twice a year to...

Ofwat has published an annual report detailing how water companies have performed against the objectives of the Board Leadership, transparency and governance principles based on the information provided in their 2019-20 annual reporting. The water regulator reports to have found a lot of good examples of how companies are meeting the objectives of the principles but that there is scope...

Talented energy entrepreneurs have the chance to apply for a share of £11 million government funding to turn their ideas into real products and services whilst eliminating carbon emissions. Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced the latest round of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund (EEF), which seeks to drive forward new clean technologies across all sectors of UK industry, supporting the...

Scotland's Chief Statistician has published Scotland’s Carbon Footprint from 1998 to 2017, providing estimates of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions on a consumption basis. The new publication presents emissions that are associated with the spending of Scottish residents on goods and services, wherever in the world these emissions arise, together with emissions directly generated by Scottish households. Key findings of the report...

Local authorities are being urged to take advantage of a £20 million cash injection to boost the number of on-street electric vehicle chargepoints in towns and cities across the UK. In a letter to councils across Britain, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that funding for the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme will continue into 2021/22, allowing residents without private parking...

Legislation to prevent the burning of heather and other vegetation on protected blanket bog habitats has been brought forward by the government. The new regulations will prevent the burning of any specified vegetation on areas of deep peat (over 40cm depth) on a Site of Special Scientific Interest that is also a Special Area of Conservation or a Special Protection...

The Scottish Government has announced to invest £1.9 billion towards tackling climate change and creating green jobs in the new 2021/22 budget. Delivery of a £1.6 billion investment to transform heat and energy efficiency of buildings is announced to get under way, directly supporting up to 5,000 jobs and tackling fuel poverty while rapidly accelerating the decarbonisation of an area...

A new plan, called ‘Litter and Fly-tipping Free Wales’, which outlines how the Welsh Government intends to crack down on the issue, has been launched for consultation. Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, commented on the launch of the new plan: "There are no excuses for littering and fly-tipping. "As well as being unsightly and spoiling our...

A material that can be used in technologies such as solar power has been found to self-heal, according to a new study by the University of York. The substance, called antimony selenide (Sb2Se3), is a solar absorber material that can be used for turning light energy into electricity. Researchers from the University's Department of Physics raise the possibility of engineering high-performance...

Water regulator Ofwat has granted dairy giant Arla Foods self-supply water and sewerage licences. This decision enables Arla Foods to provide retail services to itself and associated persons. Owned by 12,000 dairy farmers, of which 2,500 are based in the UK, the company manufactures a wide range of products including milk, yoghurt, cream, and cheese. The Leeds-based company made the application in...