The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the government’s response to its consultation on fairer, faster redress in the energy market and announced further proposals to strengthen consumer protections for home upgrades. DESNZ has confirmed that it will progress measures to reduce the maximum energy complaint journey from 14 weeks to 10 weeks, including reducing the period before complaints can be escalated to the Energy Ombudsman (EO) from eight weeks to six weeks and reducing the EO’s decision-making period from six weeks to four weeks. The government also intends to strengthen the EO’s powers by enabling redress schemes to require compensation where suppliers fail to implement decisions on time and in full and to clarify the legal standing of redress scheme decisions as parliamentary time allows.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the response to its December 2023 consultation on the Home Energy Model (HEM), which will replace the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) as the methodology for rating the energy performance of homes. HEM will be introduced alongside reforms to the Future Homes Standard (FHS), providing a new methodology for demonstrating compliance. To ensure a smooth transition, both HEM and a version of SAP will be available for a limited period, giving industry and stakeholders time to adapt, ensuring continuity and enabling further validation before HEM becomes the sole methodology. DESNZ also intends to explore integrating HEM into Energy Performance Certificates in 2025. In addition, the HEM engine will be developed as a cloud-based tool via the Energy Calculation as a Service platform, expected by autumn 2025 to support regulation and third-party applications.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC)’s study ‘Electricity distribution networks: creating capacity for the future’, addressing all 14 recommendations. The study made proposals to DESNZ, Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) on the policy actions needed to prepare the electricity distribution network for achieving net zero by 2050. The recommendations are grouped into eight thematic areas: flexibility; maintaining network reliability; strategic planning and the role of Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs); price controls; the relationship between government and Ofgem; connections; planning and consenting; and supply chain and skills. For each area, the publication sets out the NIC’s recommendations, the government’s view, next steps and designated action owners responsible for implementation.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the summary of responses to its October 2023 call for evidence on Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting, including within the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework. Key findings highlighted the recognition of overlapping reporting requirements, challenges in obtaining primary data, and the lack of a consistent methodology. Despite these concerns, respondents generally agreed that the benefits of Scope 3 reporting outweigh the costs, with strong demand from stakeholders and investors for such disclosures. Respondents also expressed strong support for the International Sustainability Standards Board's assessment of the value of Scope 3 emissions and broad agreement on using the GHG Protocol for reporting. The report also highlighted mixed views on the effectiveness of the SECR Regulations and included suggestions for streamlining the framework and enhancing its value through digitalisation.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to the Smart Secure Electricity Systems Programme consultation, confirming its plans to implement three key policy areas. The three key policy areas include: introduction of secondary legislation for Energy Smart Appliances (ESAs) by the government within a year, establishing a new load control licence framework, and enforcement of energy suppliers' compliance with Time-of-use Tariff Interoperability specifications by mid to late 2026. The response follows consultation feedback from 97 stakeholders including manufacturers, energy suppliers, network operators, technology companies and consumer groups. The government has confirmed Elexon will deliver enduring governance functions through modifications to the Balancing and Settlement Code.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to the call for evidence on barriers to community energy projects, launched in April 2024. Based on 114 responses, the document identifies funding access (72% of respondents) and government policy (66%) as primary barriers. The response announces that Great British Energy will provide £20m funding over the next financial year through three programmes supporting local and community projects. The consultation focused on England while acknowledging UK-wide barriers, with community energy groups comprising 33.3% of respondents.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to the October 2024 consultation on proposed changes to the Capacity Market (CM), aimed at maintaining security of electricity supply while enabling the decarbonisation of unabated gas plants. In response to stakeholder feedback, DESNZ intends to: (1) lower the capital expenditure threshold for ‘refurbishing’ three-year CM agreements to £65/kW for CM Units prequalifying in 2025; (2) require all substantially refurbishing and new combustion power plants participating in the 2026 T-4 CM auction (for the 2029-30 delivery year) to have a credible decarbonisation plan in place before operations begin—either through conversion to hydrogen to power or to power carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS); and (3) introduce a new exit pathway, allowing multi-year CM agreement holders to exit without penalty and transfer to a Dispatchable Power Agreement, facilitating conversion to power CCUS.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the response to its May 2025 consultation on proposed drafting changes to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) Standard Terms and Conditions (ST&Cs) for Allocation Round 7 (AR7). DESNZ has made the necessary technical and drafting amendments to the CfD scheme rules and contract terms to implement the government’s 15 July 2025 decision to relax eligibility requirements for unconsented fixed-bottom offshore wind projects. Alongside this, DESNZ has published the CfD AR7 allocation framework, which sets out the rules for CfD AR7 and eligibility criteria for applicants, as well as the AR7 administrative strike prices methodology note, detailing the approach used to determine the administrative strike prices for AR7.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to the consultation on proposed regulatory reforms to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) Clean Industry Bonus (CIB), to be implemented from Allocation Round 8 (AR8) onwards. The response confirms final policy decisions, including the introduction of mandatory participation in an interim offshore wind Fair Work Charter as part of the CIB minimum standards for AR8, with suppliers included in a generator’s CIB bids under the shorter supply chains criterion also required to sign up, subject to exemptions for small businesses and new facilities. DESNZ has also confirmed that onshore wind will be introduced into the CIB from Allocation Round 9 (AR9), with minimum standards applying only to developers seeking CIB bonus funding.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a summary of responses to its December 2023 call for evidence on non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) decarbonisation options. The responses highlighted the diversity of NRMM and their range of uses across the economy, as well as the likely need for multiple technologies, such as electric, hydrogen, and biofuel technologies, to facilitate NRMM decarbonisation. Respondents noted that low and zero carbon NRMM can be significantly more costly to purchase and operate compared to existing technologies, with the cost of installing recharging infrastructure also identified as a barrier to the deployment of decarbonisation options. In addition, certain regulations were identified as outdated or requiring further clarification. The government intends to use these responses, along with other evidence-gathering activities, to inform future policy development related to off-road machinery decarbonisation.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to the consultation on regulating Third Party Intermediaries (TPIs) in the retail energy market. This follows widespread support for direct regulation to address persistent consumer harms, particularly affecting small businesses and charities. The government intends to legislate to appoint Ofgem as the regulator for TPIs, granting it powers to set rules, monitor market conduct, and enforce compliance. This initiative forms part of the government’s broader commitment to consumer protection and market transformation in support of the transition to a smart, secure, and sustainable energy system.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) Authority’s response to the 2024 targeted consultation on three proposed technical and operational changes to the UK ETS: the publication of UK ETS Registry transaction data, the disclosure of UK ETS information by national authorities, and applications to obtain Ultra-Small Emitter (USE) status for the 2026-30 allocation period.