Weekly news round up 21st November 2022
1 . Typical household energy bill to rise to £3000 a year from April 2023 as government announce update to the energy price guarantee.
The current energy price cap means a typical bill is £2500 a year. On Thurs 24th Ofgem will announce the new price cap rate which sets the maximum amount that energy suppliers are permitted to charge per kWh. This rate is updated quarterly. Cornwall insight are predicting that the default tariff cap could reach £4245 a year in the first quarter of 2023.
2. The government announced an additional £6bn of funding to invest in energy efficiency measures in buildings and industry to help reduce consumption over the next eight years.
Jeremy Hunt said in the Autumn statement he wanted to see energy use reduce by 15% by 2030. To achieve this the budget for energy efficiency would be doubled to more than £12bn from 2025-28. Hunt also announced plans to establish an energy task force to help drive this initiative forward. Futher details of the new funding scheme are to be announced in due course.
“Today we set our country a new national ambition: by 2030, we want to reduce energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15 per cent,” Hunt told Parliament.
3. Why higher bills could lead to a rise in damp and mould.
The Sunday times reported a condensation crisis this winter as households avoid turning on the heating to save money. Colder houses are at higher risk of condensation which can cause mould. To make things worse many are keeping windows closed, sealing up draughts and shutting ventilators. Adequate ventilation is key to preventing mould build up. One in five properties could suffer from condensation and google searches for “black mould on walls” have increased 110% in the last 30 days.
To prevent mould it is recommended to keep the humidity below 70 per cent and indoor air temperature between 18-20C .You can measure air temp and humidity using smart devices such as the tado SRV to make sure you keep your home in this range and free of risk from mould growth.