A quick note from me (Josh):
Welcome to The George Briefing. Each week, my co-founder Lu and I use our tech-focused lens to go directly to the source of change in the UK energy market, the official publications from Ofgem and the UK Government. Our goal is to cut through the noise and deliver the key regulatory developments and changes that will impact your business's bottom line, all explained in simple, actionable terms.
This weeks developments are:
The Free Ride Ends: London Slaps Congestion Charge on Electric Vehicles
Green Upgrade Blow: Government Scraps £7.5k Heat Pump Grant for Most Buyers
Victory for Business: Ofgem Blocks Attempt to Slash Your Billing Refund Rights
This Week's B2B Market Pulse
Hidden Gems Also Worth Reading
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The Guardian
Image source: Gemini / Meet George
The Spark: The business case for switching your fleet to electric just got more complicated as London scraps the EV exemption for its newly increased Congestion Charge.
The details:
From January, London's daily Congestion Charge will rise by 20% from £15 to £18.
For the first time, Electric Vehicles (EVs) will no longer be exempt from the charge.
EVs will receive a discount: electric cars will pay £13.50 (a 25% discount) and electric vans/HGVs will pay £9 (a 50% discount).
Transport for London justifies the change due to the six-fold increase in EVs registered in the zone since 2019, stating the exemption is no longer sustainable for managing traffic.
Why it matters: This isn't just a London issue; it's a signpost for the future of EV running costs across the UK. For years, the financial model for switching to an EV fleet was built on operational savings like fuel and tax exemptions. As EVs become mainstream, governments are looking for ways to replace lost revenue (like fuel duty) and manage traffic. This London change is the first big move, meaning businesses can no longer assume 'electric' automatically means 'exempt from charges'. The total cost of ownership calculation for commercial EVs now needs to factor in a future where road pricing, not just electricity costs, becomes a significant operational expense.
What you can do:
If your business operates vehicles in central London, update your operational budget immediately to account for these new daily charges for any EVs in your fleet.
Review your fleet procurement strategy; the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculation for new EVs must now include potential road user charges, not just fuel and maintenance savings.
Check your driver expense policies and ensure your team is aware of the change, updating your reimbursement process for the Congestion Charge to include EVs from January.
The Guardian
Image source: Gemini / Meet George
The Spark: The government is set to scrap widespread heat pump subsidies to fund a short-term cut in energy bills, potentially derailing the business case for landlords and property developers investing in green heating.
The details:
Chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to remove energy efficiency levies from bills as part of a package to lower household energy costs.
As a result, the heat pump subsidy (worth up to £7,500) will be restricted, making it available only to low-income households that qualify for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
The government's justification is that the grants were disproportionately benefiting middle-class households that could have afforded the technology without support.
Energy industry experts warn the move will significantly slow the UK's transition away from gas boilers and could undermine national climate targets.
Why it matters: This is a classic example of short-term politics clashing with long-term business strategy. While the headline focuses on household bills, the real impact for SMEs is the sudden evaporation of the business case for upgrading property with green tech. For any business that owns its premises or acts as a landlord, the removal of a £7,500 grant fundamentally changes the ROI calculation on moving away from gas. This policy U-turn creates uncertainty, making it harder for businesses to plan long-term capital expenditure on energy efficiency and leaving them more exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices down the line.
What you can do:
Accelerate your decision on heat pump installation. If you were already considering one for your business premises, check your eligibility and apply for the current grant scheme immediately before the criteria are tightened.
Re-run the numbers on any planned property upgrades. If your business case for installing a heat pump relied on the grant, you need to reassess the project's financial viability and timeline.
Investigate energy efficiency measures with a faster payback. Focus on improvements that don't rely on subsidies, such as upgrading insulation or installing smart heating controls, to reduce your immediate gas consumption.
Ofgem
Image source: Gemini / Meet George
The Spark: Regulator Ofgem has protected your right to correct network billing errors, rejecting a proposal that would have slashed the reclaim window from six years to just a few months.
The details:
Ofgem has rejected a proposed industry rule change, DCP439, which was put forward by a Distribution Network Operator (DNO).
The change would have drastically reduced the time limit for correcting errors on network charges (also known as DUoS charges) from the current six years.
The proposed new limits were 14 months before the rollout of Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS), and just four months after.
Ofgem rejected the plan due to concerns about negative impacts on consumers and because it would make bills less accurate and fair.
Why it matters: Let's translate the jargon. This decision is a quiet but significant win for your business's bottom line. Network operators wanted to reduce their own administrative burden and financial risk by shortening the window to fix their billing mistakes. Pitched as 'efficiency', this change would have meant that if you discovered you'd been overcharged for network costs after a few months, it would have been too late to claim your money back. By rejecting this, Ofgem has reinforced a critical consumer protection: you have a six-year window to audit and correct these complex charges, ensuring you only pay what you truly owe, regardless of when the error is found.
What you can do:
Review your audit schedule: Since the six-year correction window remains, consider a historical bill audit focusing on network charges if you haven't done one in the last few years. There could be significant hidden savings.
Question your supplier: Ask your current energy supplier what their process is for validating your DUoS charges to ensure you are on the correct tariff band for your consumption profile.
Check contract clauses: When renewing your energy contract, check for any clauses that attempt to limit the back-billing period for network charges to less than the official six-year industry rule.
LATEST MARKET NUMBERS
⚡ B2B Market Pulse
Wholesale Electricity Price (weekly avg.): 7.20 p/kWh (🔺 +1.17 p/kWh / +19.4%) A sharp increase from last week's 6.03 p/kWh, breaking the recent stability.
Wholesale Gas Price: 2.81 p/kWh (🔺 +0.04 p/kWh / +1.4%) Based on 82.35p/therm. Holding relatively steady against last week's 2.77 p/kWh.
UK Carbon Price (UKA): £57.00 per tonne (🔺 +£1.32 / +2.4%) Edging upwards again from last week's £55.68/tonne.
Wind + Solar Generation (Share of UK Mix): 46.4% (🔺 +6.9 pts / +17.5%) Renewables bounced back from last week's 39.5%, recovering nearly 7 percentage points of the mix.
The Meet George Take
The "Winter Premium" has entered the chat.
If last week was a lesson in how gas dictates the price floor, this week is a harsh lesson in demand economics.
On paper, this should have been a "soft" week for prices. Renewables generation improved significantly (up 17.5%), and the cost of gas - the fuel usually setting the price - remained virtually flat (+1.4%).
So, why did your electricity price jump by nearly 20%?
The answer lies in the "Spark Spread" and grid tightness. Even though there was more wind on the system, the market is pricing in the colder November reality. When demand rises (due to heating and lighting), the grid has to call on more expensive, less efficient power plants to meet the peak peaks. Even if gas is cheap, the price to switch on these backup generators is high.
The bottom line for your business: We are seeing a decoupling. Gas prices are stable, but electricity prices are spiking. This confirms that we have moved out of the "shoulder season" and into true Winter mode. For the next few months, don't just watch the gas market; watch the thermometer. Cold snaps will drive price volatility now, regardless of how cheap the gas is.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
📰/📊 News also worth reading
A PLUG FOR GEORGE 🔌
Enjoying the briefing? The same philosophy - cutting through the noise to find what impacts your bottom line - is at the heart of what we're building.
At Meet George we’re building AI-powered business energy switching, launching Q1 2026. While we complete the full automation platform, we're offering manual forensic analysis by our founding team - the same insights our platform will deliver instantly, just delivered by humans within 5 business days.
Request a free analysis and we'll uncover hidden broker fees, inflated unit rates, standing charges, and potential overspend. Transparent 1p/kWh commission, shown separately. No sales pressure.
