Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill
Documents related to the Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill, which will put in place a requirement on Ofgem to cap energy tariffs until 2020.
The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill will put in place a requirement on the independent regulator, Ofgem, to cap energy tariffs until 2020, with the possibility of it being extended to 2023 if necessary. It will mean an absolute cap can be set on poor value tariffs, protecting the 11 million households in England, Wales and Scotland who are currently on a standard variable or other default energy tariff and who are not protected by existing price caps.
The Bill is part of a package of measures being introduced by government to:
- increase competition in the retail energy market
- and lower prices for consumers, including the rollout of smart meters in every household and initiatives to promote smarter and faster switching.
The government intends Ofgem to be able to set the temporary price cap by the end of 2018 so that it is in place for next winter.
The introduction of the Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill comes after the BEIS Select Committee scrutinised the draft Bill as part of the government’s work to build consensus for the cap. The Committee backed an absolute cap and made a number of other recommendations about the Bill in its report, which the government has accepted in full.