Guest Blog: npower’s Wayne Mitchell on EMR charges on bills

Latest EMR polices hit bills in April For politicians and policy makers, the hard work of Electricity Market Reform (EMR) is pretty much over. But for businesses, the impact is only just beginning. Now all the detail is agreed and the mechanisms are at last in place, the bills are starting to come in. From […]

Guest Blog: npower’s Wayne Mitchell on Customers

Should you let customers determine your strategy? I was having dinner with some friends the other day, and one asked about how we decide what products and services we’re going to offer customers at npower. There really isn’t a straightforward answer to this question, as there are such a mixture of drivers. Responding to market […]

Guest Blog: npower’s Wayne Mitchell on energy policies not reflecting the needs of business

Energy policies not reflecting the needs of business As the political parties start gearing up for a General Election next year, energy policy is likely to remain at the forefront of most manifestos. But what should they be looking to address? Throughout the long journey to the recently finalised Electricity Market Reform, we’ve been engaging […]

Windfall warning from “clumsy” energy auctions

Environmental not-for-profit campaign group Sandbag today warned the “clumsy Capacity Market” could “actively subsidise 45-year old coal power stations to stay open that would otherwise have shut”. They claimed this would “crowd out opportunities for new gas power stations to be built” and discourage new demand-side response. Four operating coal plants are potentially going to hoover up cash […]

Jonathan Brearley speaks at Energy Live 2013

One of the men who masterminded the Government’s Electricity Market Reforms, you can call Jonathan “Mr EMR” – and he shared his thoughts on the ongoing DECC vs Treasury rumours and more at Energy Live 2013.

“I’m pleased energy is dull” – DECC’s EMR head

The sprawling chunk of energy law known as Electricity Market Reform (EMR) isn’t exactly thrilling. But that’s just the way the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s lead on EMR likes it. Jonathan Mills, Director of EMR for DECC revealed his preference for boring policy at The Energy Event in Birmingham yesterday. He was responding […]

New policy costs on horizon for business energy bills

Businesses can expect new policy costs added onto their energy bills according to the Head of Direct and Technical Sales at npower. Ian Preston said this is why his firm has just released a new tariff which factors in “future policy costs”. He told ELN: “In the past, new costs have come in and surprised […]

UK EMR regulations passed into law

The UK Government’s radical reforms to attract investment in low carbon energy have been passed into law. That means its delivery partners for the electricity market  – the National Grid, the Low Carbon Contracts Company and the Electricity Settlements Company – have got the powers to implement the reforms, which includes the Capacity Market and […]

Guest Blog: Wayne Mitchell on EMR – opportunities as well as costs

Last week, I talked about how much the newly-finalised Electricity Market Reform (EMR) policies are likely to cost consumers. If you recall, we estimate between £11 and £17 per megawatt hour by 2020, which when you are consuming in the mega megawatt league, is not an insubstantial amount, especially on top of other existing policy […]

Coal could sweep out low carbon fears peer

Coal plants could sweep up in the auctions to provide power for Britain in future, leaving precious little space for low carbon power generation or energy efficiency, fears the Labour peer Baroness Worthington. She is concerned retrofitted coal plants could apply to participate in the capacity mechanism. In December, the Government will run the first […]