The watchdog Ofgem is to consider introducing a new “dynamic” price cap based on the time of day British households use their energy, it has announced.
The energy regulator for Great Britain has launched a consultation on a range of options for the future of the price cap, including a “more dynamic cap” with “time-of-use dependent unit rates to encourage consumer flexibility”.
Other options include a targeted cap which could be based on a variety of factors such as vulnerability, and more flexible, market-based price protections such as setting a limit between a supplier’s default tariff and tariffs available in the market, capping the margin suppliers are able to make, or replacing the cap with a ban on acquisition-only tariffs.
Ofgem said the price cap, along with the temporary ban on acquisition-only tariffs, had worked well to protect customers from the “loyalty penalty”, where customers on default tariffs paid higher prices, and from the worst of the recent volatile markets and wholesale price surges of the energy crisis.
It said gas and electricity retail markets were changing as increasing numbers of consumers changed their consumption and begin using electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels.
Tim Jarvis, the Ofgem director general of retail and markets, said: “While the price cap played an important role in protecting consumers from the loyalty penalty that existed before its introduction, the energy market is changing as we move to net zero and we recognise the systems we have in place may need to change too.
“We’re looking in detail at the elements of the price cap that have worked well and the challenges we’ve identified in recent years, while also considering how a wide range of future consumers will use and pay for energy to make sure we develop the right measures that will protect and benefit consumers across the board.
“We will continue to work with government, industry, consumer groups, charities and the public on the future of pricing regulation. Our aim is ensure the market works for everyone.”