winter

  Cold temperatures this winter are making older people across the UK worry about their health and finances. That’s according to a survey of 2,000 respondents aged above 65 by comparethemarket.com, which suggests more than two-fifths of this group are worried cold weather will lead to higher energy costs. As many as 11%, totalling around […]

More than two million families across the UK expect to struggle to pay their energy bills through the winter. That’s the suggestion from price comparison service uSwitch, which surveyed 2,011 households regarding the risk of suffering from fuel poverty over Christmas. More than a quarter of those surveyed are worried they will have to sacrifice […]

Gas-fired generation increased significantly over the winter, accounting for 45% of total production. With gas more economical to run, coal generation fell from 20% last winter to 12% in 2016/17, according to National Grid. Demand across the winter was 50.3bcm, higher than forecast due to increased generation, while it peaked at 372.2mcm on 26th January. […]

National Grid has said there will be much more spare power capacity this winter. In its latest Winter Consultation for 2017/18, the grid operator has increased the surplus electricity margin, i.e. the additional power it expects to have available over what is needed to meet demand in winter 2017/18. It expects it to be in […]

Around 97,000 Scottish households have escaped from extreme fuel poverty in the last year. The 4% drop between 2014 and 2015 is attributable to a substantial fall in fuel prices (2.3%), energy efficiency improvements in housing stock (1.3%) and higher incomes (0.6%), according to a new report from the Scottish Government. These figures refer to […]

More than half of annual household energy will be consumed in the next four months, costing consumers £2.2 billion more than it could do. As average temperatures halve from 12°C in October to 6°C in January, energy usage will double, according to First Utility, an independent supplier. This spike in energy consumption, along with its research […]

Around 13.6 million – or 77% – of homeowners will take steps to ration their energy consumption this winter. According to a new survey, 32% of them will actively manage the amount of heating they use this winter, taking measures that include leaving it as long as possible before turning on the central heating (33%). Just […]

Ukraine has secured its gas supply for the coming winter, thanks to a loan worth $500 million (£405m). The money from the World Bank allows national gas company Natfogaz to buy gas from Europe to meet the demand of consumers. The guarantee is part of the Bank’s plans to support wider reforms in the country’s energy […]

National Grid believes there will be sufficient generation and interconnector imports to meet demand throughout this winter. In its latest Winter Outlook for 2016/17, the grid operator has increased the gap between total power generating capacity and peak demand to 6.6% from the 5.5% for winter 2015/2016. That means the generation margin for the coming […]

A charity has made fuel poverty recommendations to the government and called for an increase in public health funding. National Energy Action (NEA) said previous fuel poverty guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) needs to be put into action to fight fuel poverty in the UK. NICE’s aims include reducing preventable winter deaths, […]