News & Blog

Costly updates to your energy bill this April are no joke

12th March 2018

In April there will be some major changes coming into play in the energy industry. Whether you’re affected by all or just one, your business could see a significant cost impact.

New energy efficiency requirements in force

As of 1 April 2018 new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, better known as MEES, will come into force. Aiming to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, MEES will make it illegal to grant new leases to properties with an F or G rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). There are strict penalties in place for non-compliance, and fines could reach up to £150,000. The impact of fines will be compounded by loss of earnings while non-compliant properties cannot be rented.

Utilitywise are able to assess your current EPC level and help you with energy efficiency projects to increase your rating to a MEES-compliant E or above.

Why is your energy bill increasing?

Your energy bill is set to rise again, as changes to distribution charges will take effect in April.

The introduction of DCP161 and a regulatory change, DCP228, will bring price increases to businesses:

• DCP161 has been introduced by Ofgem. Its purpose is to ensure that businesses with half hourly (HH) supplies that exceed their assigned available capacity, pay more.
• DCP228 will revise how DUoS (Distribution Use of System) charges are calculated, so they accurately reflect the costs incurred by network operators during peak and non-peak periods.

These two charges are set to further increase the already spiralling non-commodity cost (NCC) element of your energy bill, which is a mix of transmission, distribution, and other regulated charges you pay on top of the wholesale cost of energy.

In less than three years’ time, these extra charges will account for the largest portion of your energy bill at 66%.

Chamber Energy Solutions can help you control your costs. It’s critical that you take control of these soaring costs, and we recently hosted a webinar – The Rise of NCC’s – to show you how. To catch up on our webinar, click here to listen or call 0333 000 0132 or email help@chamberenergysolutions.co.uk.