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Bulb Energy

Status: Closed Opened: 29 Mar 2023 Closed: 14 Feb 2024 4 recommendations 21 conclusions 1 report

Bulb Energy collapsed in the summer of 2021 and was placed in special administration by the government. This was the first time that the government had appointed a special administrator to operate an energy supplier to maintain the supply of energy to customers. In June 2022 the NAO reported on the energy supplier market, and …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Seventy-Fourth Report - Bulb Energy HC 1232 1 Nov 2023 25 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
22 Conclusion Seventy-Fourth Report - Bulb Energy Not Addressed

Government implemented extensive £69 billion financial measures to support energy bill payers.

Over the course of 2022, the government announced £69 billion worth of measures to protect billpayers from price increases. In February 2022, it announced a £200 upfront reduction in customers’ bills from October 2022, which was expected to be repaid by customers over five years from April 2023. In May …

Government response. The government's response describes existing and ongoing energy support schemes (EPG, cost-of-living payments, EBDS, WHD) for households and businesses. However, the original committee item was a descriptive statement of past government measures, not a recommendation, and the response does not …
HM Treasury
23 Recommendation Seventy-Fourth Report - Bulb Energy Not Addressed

Improve administrative processes to increase energy bill support voucher redemption rates for vulnerable customers.

We examined the government’s support for customers’ and businesses’ energy bills in November 2022 and June 2023. We concluded that many vulnerable customers faced extra challenges accessing benefits designed to help people with their energy bills. We also found that the Department was not doing enough to ensure that support …

Government response. The government states it agrees and that the recommendation is implemented, but its response describes ongoing general energy support schemes like the EPG and Warm Home Discount. It does not specifically detail how it has addressed administrative barriers or increased …
HM Treasury
24 Conclusion Seventy-Fourth Report - Bulb Energy

Ofgem's energy price cap directly impacts average household energy bills.

The energy price cap limits the rates suppliers can charge customers for the standing charge and for each unit of electricity and gas used. The price cap is set by Ofgem at a level that is largely based on the wholesale price of energy.51 We asked Ofgem to provide information …

HM Treasury
25 Conclusion Seventy-Fourth Report - Bulb Energy Not Addressed

Energy Bill Discount Scheme excludes some energy-intensive businesses from higher support

In our June 2023 report on Energy Bills Support, we found that the government planned to replace the Energy Bill Relief Scheme with the Energy Bill Discount Scheme. This would support businesses for 12 months from April 2023 by providing a discount on their energy bills if wholesale prices were …

Government response. The government's response describes the ongoing Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) and its provisions for non-domestic customers and heat networks. However, it does not address the committee's specific concerns regarding the lack of assessment of the scheme's impact or the …
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
25 May 2023 Dan Osgood · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, James Bowler CB · HM Treasury, Jeremy Pocklington CB · Ministry of Defence, Jonathan Brearley · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Jonathan Brearley · Ofgem, Matt Cowlishaw · Teneo, Phil Duffy · HM Treasury, Stuart Jackson · Octopus Energy View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
19 Jun 2023 — Correspondence from Jonathan Brearley, Chief Executive, Ofgem, re Bulb energy, …