Local authorities are launching energy companies. Some now supply businesses, sign power purchase agreements with local generators, and seek TPIs to scale their B2B rosters. What hurdles do council entrants face, asks Brendan Coyne Local authorities are watching Bristol Energy and Nottingham’s Robin Hood Energy, the first UK municipal energy companies to launch in the modern Read more…

US firm Energy Services Group has acquired UK-based Utiligroup for a reported £100m. The Lancashire firm provides data management and software to energy companies around billing and wholesale services as well as sales and pricing. Its ‘supplier in a box’ solutions have helped a number of small energy suppliers enter the market, and it is Read more…

Centrica’s storage arm has confirmed that there will be no further injections of gas at the Rough storage facility in storage year 2017/18. Long term gas prices increased marginally on the news. The ageing facility, which has been responsible for the lion’s share of UK gas storage, has suffered technical issues for some time. As a result, Read more…

UK power prices in the first three months of 2017 averaged almost a third higher than the same period a year earlier, according to latest analysis from pricing firm ICIS. Gas prices for delivery over the next year were up 42%. However, longer term prices began to fall from February as market fears over winter Read more…

Small businesses appear to be tiring of constant calls from energy brokers, new research published by Ofgem suggests. Yet at least a quarter are still paying over the odds for their energy. A survey of 1,254 small businesses (up to 49 staff) found broadly similar switching and engagement levels in 2016 compared with the previous Read more…

Energy Broker Pulse has been acquired by business communications firm Arrow for an undisclosed sum. Pulse, owned by Ben Dhesi and wife Purdeep Kang, made a profit after tax of £577,982 in the year to 30 September 2015, according to Companies House filings, up 220% on the previous year. The company has notched up significant Read more…

Inaccurate billing by energy suppliers is costing UK firms half a billion pounds a year, according to third party intermediary Inenco. The consultancy says that one in five business energy bills are wrong, and that UK firms could claim that money back in refunds – if they know what they are looking for. However, Inenco says Read more…

Former Extra Energy CEO and Inenco Direct managing director Geoff Childs has joined utility smart billing firm Junifer Systems. Childs joins as business development director. Paul Fitzgerald, the outfit’s sales director, said Childs’ knowledge of founding and rapidly scaling an energy retail company would benefit clients, some of which are local authorities preparing to enter the energy Read more…

Wirral Council looks set to become the next local authority to launch a municipal energy company. The Council’s leader has backed the move and the cabinet will next week consider three commercial structures to supply residents with gas and power. According to the council, one in ten Wirral households are in fuel poverty, defined as spending at Read more…

Scottish Power’s strategic push to build deeper links with third party intermediaries (TPIs) in the I&C sector has entered its second phase. The energy supplier embarked upon a strategic shift at the end of 2015, recognising that the relationships forged by TPIs could significantly enhance its business, which until then had focused almost exclusively on Read more…

Centrica posted solid 2016 results, with operating profit up 4% to £1,515m and debt down 27% to £3,473m. The company indicated it plans to shave a further £500m off debt by the end of the year. Savings will come from reorganising business structures, with £250m targeted to come from efficiencies and job cuts, said the firm. Centrica expects to Read more…

Trust issues continue to plague third party intermediaries (TPIs), according to a survey of directors and managers. Firms polled by The Energyst, mostly from industrial and commercial companies, rated TPIs significantly lower than water, gas, or electricity suppliers. Although water companies appear to be most trusted, on a weighted average basis, the utilities were given similar scores Read more…

Third party intermediaries are warning businesses to brace for two years of volatile energy prices, following extreme market swings over the last year. At the start of 2016, natural gas prices were low, with many predicting further falls, yet during the second half they roughly doubled. While globally there is plenty of gas, reduced storage capacity at Read more…

SSE has decided against upgrading its back-end billing system any time soon. The supplier, attempting to stem the rate of customer losses in recent years, said in a trading statement that it would instead focus on front-end retail efforts. That decision will be welcomed by shareholders: billing systems upgrades have a history of causing severe Read more…

British Gas has been hit with a £9.5m penalty for billing and complaints failures by regulator Ofgem. Tens of thousands of business customers received inaccurate and late bills following the supplier implementing a new billing system in 2014. British Gas also failed to adequately handle the resulting wave of complaints, said Ofgem. British Gas acknowledged the Read more…

Total Gas & Power has broken its duck, signing its first venture in cricket with Warwickshire County Cricket Club to supply energy to Edgbaston Stadium. The firm has signed a one-year gas and power deal with the option to extend the partnership. Total will work with the club’s energy efficiency consultants Amber Energy “to support our Read more…

SmartestEnergy has launched a new product, which it claims is a first: 100% renewable power certified by the Carbon Trust. The business energy supplier says that makes it the most transparent green power product on the market. The move follows SmartestEnergy’s Energy Labels launch last year, which specify the source and carbon content of the electricity Read more…

Sion Roberts has been made general manager of Total Gas & Power. Roberts, with the company for two decades and most recently its commercial director, succeeds Dave Cranfield, who will now head up Total’s European gas and electricity supply business. Cranfield said Roberts’ experience within the company made him the outstanding candidate. “Sion knows our business Read more…