Supply Market Indicators In our regular monthly review of Ofgem’s Supply Market Indicators we focus on November’s release from the energy regulator. Last month’s figures are in brackets. November 2014 The November 2014 SMI from Ofgem reported that: – They estimate that the average annual dual fuel bill has once again fallen slightly for the next 12 months to […]
Comparethemarket Highlights Energy Market Differences
According to ‘revelatory’ data from Comparethemarket, the most popular energy tariffs in the domestic market include names “You might not have heard about”. They report that: Extra Energy attracted fully 36.28% of domestic energy switches in October First Utility 11.65% E.ON 10.82% nPower 9.18% Sainsbury’s Energy 7.44% Whilst the biggest losses were felt by: nPower […]
Ofgem (TPI) Working Group Nov-14
The Ofgem Third party intermediary (TPI) working group met for their 3rd session on the 7th November 2014. The session brought further clarity to the future arrangements for a TPI “code”, however it was disappointing to hear that this is the final gathering of the grouping despite significant issues yet to be resolved. Below we summarise the key ‘outcomes’ […]
European Chambers calls for SME Lending Revolution
The populist rhetoric of EU baiters often falls on deaf ears for UK SME’s. After all we are savvy enough to know the benefit of such a key export market and the lessons we can learn from the continent’s approach to business for instance Germany’s concept of the ‘Mittelstand’. But at times it is difficult […]
The Rise of the Super-SME
According to UK fund management firm Octopus Investments there is a new super hero in town, this one though doesn’t wear a cape or a mask and its only super power appears to be recruitment excellence. A recent report from Octopus has revealed that just 1% of the UKs businesses created a astonishing 68% of […]
Blackout fears rise once more
A few short weeks ago, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey confidently promised no blackouts over Winter 2014/15. Those words seemed ambitiously confident even then. Certainly Davey was in a minority in his assertive opinion, now though that confidence has as much as indeed been confirmed to look misplaced. Whilst the […]
Big 6 Suffer as Competition Bites
It hasn’t been a great time to be an energy supplier of late. With the media and popular press lining up to barrack at every opportunity, some misguided and defensive commentary (step forward Sam Laidlaw) and a general perception of profiteering the industry has had an annus horriblis indeed. The travails of 2014 however do […]
IEA: US Shale Masks Energy Market Realities
For many energy market watchers, including ourselves, recent months have left us confounded. With all the economic and geo-political fundamentals currently in play pointing to increased energy prices, precisely the opposite has happened. Indeed anyone predicting consistent price falls whilst also recognising the pressures on the global energy market would have been pilloried before recent […]
Centrica Boss Attacks UK Energy Policy “Paradox”
Outgoing Centrica Chief Executive Sam Laidlaw has taken a back seat of late following his controversial comments with regards the Competition and Markets Authority investigation but is now back in focus after hitting out in an altogether more coherent attack on the “paradox” of UK energy policy. The focus of Laidlaw’s ire was three-fold: The […]
Big 6 CEOs Claim Miliband’s Price Freeze Preventing Price Cuts
Red Red Ed Miliband has been rather quiet on his energy price freeze rhetoric recently, perhaps his big bro’ has leant him a book on economics at last. Whatever the reason, the hurriedly announced policy still has resonance and not just with desperate energy customers looking for a helping hand with rising energy costs. Amber […]