Ofgem

NEWS: Energy Price Cap to rise again, 6.4% on 1 April. This follows the 1% rise in January and 10% last October. Here's my instant briefing, including WHAT TO DO.

Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.

Rules that prevent energy firms from offering cheaper deals to new customers will remain in place until March 2025, regulator Ofgem has confirmed. It means you're less likely to be able to cut your bills by switching supplier for the time being – though there are still some deals worth considering now.

Energy standing charges, which make up around £300 of most people's yearly bills, are to be reviewed by the energy regulator. Ofgem has asked bill payers, suppliers, charities and consumer groups for their views on how an alternative system could work. 

The price households pay for gas and electricity will fall by 7% on average from 1 July as energy regulator Ofgem has announced the latest Energy Price Cap rates. Yet despite this, energy bills remain much higher than before the energy crisis hit. We've full info below.

Rules that prevent energy firms from offering cheaper deals to new customers could be scrapped by October, paving the way for you to cut your bills by switching supplier. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis said the move is a much-needed fix for the broken energy market, though while "better late than never", he cautioned that the change is still too far off.

If you are aged 75 or over, or have a child under two, energy suppliers will soon be permanently banned from forcibly installing a prepayment meter in your home. It comes as the energy regulator's current code of practice is to be extended, and become mandatory, in a bid to protect more households. Firms flouting the rules, which will take force from 8 November, will face fines.  

The maximum amount of compensation given to households and businesses that lose electricity power as a result of severe weather has increased from £700 to £2,000, as part of a raft of new measures announced by energy regulator Ofgem. 

E.on Next will pay 500,000 customers £8 each in compensation after they struggled to get through to the firm on the phone last year. Below we explain who will get these payments and how.

Millions of Shell broadband and energy customers could be moved to a new provider in the coming months as the supplier has announced plans to sell these parts of its business following a "strategic review" – though there's no immediate change to your services and you should keep paying your bills as normal.