Smart meter rollout dented: Lockdown halts progress of installations and fewer than half of homes are predicted to have one by next summer The rollout will now only reach 48% completion by the end of June 2021 This is compared to the 61% predicted pre-pandemic Many are still averse to having a meter fitted at home … Read more
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new £2billion Green Homes Grant to help homes across England become more energy efficient in his mini-budget on Wednesday. The scheme will allow homeowners and landlords to apply for a voucher that will fund at least two thirds of the cost of hiring tradespeople to upgrade the energy performance of … Read more
Households could see energy bills fall £20 a year under new proposals unveiled by the industry regulator. Ofgem will spend £25billion to invest in greener energy over the next five years to ‘transform Britain’s energy networks to deliver emissions-free green energy’. However, as part of that scheme, it wants energy network firms to halve the returns … Read more
The majority of households have become more reliant on their broadband connection since lockdown started in March. Those with older, slower deals, may now be fed-up with a strain put on from home working, Netflix binges, football streaming and more people within the home connecting at the same time. With a large chunk of the … Read more
Zurich to refund travel insurance customers who were unable to get abroad during lockdown: Will other firms do the same? Zurich is offering customers a refund or a rescheduling to their policies Insurer says thousands of customers were unable to travel due to coronavirus We reveal whether other insurers are planning to enact a similar … Read more
Households across the UK are using the internet more than ever now that millions have been forced to work from home during the lockdown period. The increase has been so great that some customers are now using enough extra data to watch three and a half hours more Netflix every single day, new research from … Read more
Banks have quietly launched a vital security crackdown to prevent fraudsters intercepting payments. Online bank transfer payments will now be blocked if the recipient’s name and account number do not match. A box will pop up asking you to check the payee’s details for errors – and alerting you to potential fraud. This will happen … Read more
With fitness centres initially offering only limited facilities as coronavirus lockdown lifts, is now the time to cancel your gym membership? By Toby Walne, Financial Mail on Sunday Published: 21:53 BST, 27 June 2020 | Updated: 21:53 BST, 27 June 2020 Gyms are expected to start reopening from the middle of next month – potentially … Read more
An energy firm is offering customers the chance to own a share of a wind farm in return for receiving the electricity it produces. Ripple Energy says it is building Britain’s first customer owned wind farm with the aim of signing up 2,000 households in Britain to crowdfund the construction of the turbine. It will need … Read more
Sweltering temperatures have hit Britain this week and with millions still working from home, or home-schooling, many are cooped up in properties with no air conditioning. Here, This is Money, using figures from Uswitch, reveals the cost per hour of running a number of the most in-demand cooling units and garden must-haves this summer. Demand … Read more