Can we also assume that  

 I don't think tomorrow's announcement is anything to get too excited or worried about.

doesn't apply to those in the population who are already struggling to heat their homes or is this article suggesting that this group needn't worry because energy prices are going to be lower than winter 2024 when we arrive at winter 2025?  

Posted by: @kilowatts_io

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Headlines about spiralling bills are misleading especially links to longer term shifts toward decarbonisation.

How is that comment substantiated?

The next round of Price Cap figures are based on:

• UK electricity prices being dictated by wholesale gas prices which continue to rise
• funding the DNOs and National Grid Electricity Transmission for grid infrastructure beyond British requirements

What makes you think that decarbonising the GB electricity grid prevents future wholesale prices still being based on gas?
It's a European-wide wholesale market.

With the transmission pipeline currently oversubscribed at more than 560GW – three times what is
needed to meet Britain’s net zero goals – there is huge uncertainty around what substations need
building and where.
                                                                                     National Grid Electricity Transmission , Dec’24

What tariffs are fellow RHH users on?

Ive been lucky to pretty much keep my electricity costs the same, despite increasing prices as I’ve changed tariffs. 
I use quite a lot of electricity ~9000kWh in 2023, ~8700kWh in 2024. Because of 2xEVs & ASHP. In 2023 I was on Octopus Go. Now I’m on Intelligent Go which gives me 6hrs at night at 7p/kWh & 24.86p/kWh rest time. But my EVs always charge at 7p. Heat h/w overnight for free in summer via solar PV. 
Total cost for 2023 was £1963 & 2024 was £1648. 
This is all my energy usage. 
Will be interesting to see how my Octopus Intelligent rates change. 

@julianc It will also be interesting to see if 
 Agile rates return to somewhere near last Spring’s prices again, (but I’ll not hold my breath!).

I moved to Cosy on the 1st. July last year and using battery storage, only import grid power during the cheapest bands of the tariff (~13p. inc. VAT). We are all-electric as we got rid of gas 2 years ago, we have an ASHP but no EV. We consumed 10,028 kWh in 2024 at a cost of £1,214.31. We exported 6,349.28 kWh with Octopus Outgoing @ 15p. per kWh and this paid us £952.39 so we paid OE a total of £261.92 for the whole year. N.B. the figures may not add up as such as there was a certain amount of arbitrage with saving sessions and price changes etc., (I note that Thames Water have ‘changed’ their prices, it sounds much better than ‘raised them’ doesn’t it?!), but that was the overall result. Regards, Toodles.

@toodles that’s very good. I’m not including my FiT payments, as they are not available today. It pays all my bill. But your battery and return to grid tariff is possible for others.

There isn't much correlation between the forwards projection of energy pricing
and the tariffs which a very few people are using to significantly lower their bills.

As @abernyte posted here earlier, we need to consider those households in Energy Poverty,
most of whom are locked into pre-payment meters by historic debt.

Whilst their Smart Meters are capable of delivering them ToU tariffs, no Energy Suppliers are prepared to offer them.

There have been many voices complaining about the unfair burden on lower-income households,
who are paying comparatively more than average towards grid infrastructure upgrades via the Daily Standing Charge.

At last, Ofgem is proposing to take action, do a public consultation and issue a directive,
but they are proposing three alternatives, two of which include the implementation of Block Tariffs.

Just how many people are there who even understand the Block Tariff feature within our Smart Meters?

Of those, how many are likely to be living with Energy Poverty?

And of those, how many would be able to respond to an Ofgem consultation? 😥 

@transparent I don't personally think we can really help sufficient vulnerable people unless we have a social tarrif and do our best to target it appropriately and make it either automatic or easy to apply for.

It needs to be a social tarrif that is cheaper in all situations not simply shifting costs between blocks, standing charges, unit rates which is more about changing behavior generally if done well

Many vulnerable families including my adopted brother are never going to cope with block tariffs and choosing the best tariff for their situation. They have so many massive issues in their lives 😥 

"With the transmission pipeline currently oversubscribed at more than 560GW"

@transparent what does that include? I seem to remember reading less than 20% of the pipeline ever actually gets built as it fails to get funding,fails planning concent etc. Am not sure if the 560GW is the lower net figure?

Also does it include storage like batteries or is that separate?

I find a lot of articles currently very opaque and difficult to assess.

I’m not sure I can influence tariffs (for those in energy poverty). But I can point out tariffs available to those with smart meters, that could help drive down their charges. 

@jeff  NESO now operates all GB energy networks, including heat.
They also hold the remit for strategic grid planning.

The three Transmission Grid companies (two of which are in Scotland) must comply with NESO's targets.

The National Grid Group (which is an international company) has elected to invest £30bn in British Transmission infrastructure.
That statement is made by the CEO, John Pettigrew, because it affects their shares and must comply with Stock Market regulations.
(He's from an engineering background, and started out as a 'linesman') 🙂 

National Grid Group can easily make that investment because they own

• National Grid Electricity Transmission (400kV and 275kV cabling in England & Wales)
• National Grid Electricity Distribution (the DNO for four of the GB regions)
• 50% share in the Norway Interconnector
• a growing proportion of the USA grid on the eastern side

But they're doing it because they can do so, and they expect to get their money back.
It's not altruism!

The North Sea Link partner is Statnett, which is 100% owned by the Norwegian Government.
It's a 750km 1.4GW direct-current system, and became operational in October 2021.

In it's first full year of operation (2022) revenue from the NSL exceeded the €1.6bn which it cost to build.

That's why we can be certain that the Transmission Grid infrastructure will actually be built...
... and why us British consumers will have to 'repay' that investment from National Grid Group through Transmission Use of Service (TUoS) components in our energy bills.

Posted by: @jeff

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Also does it include storage like batteries or is that separate?

It's the cost of the cabling and control systems only.

Generation and Storage assets can never be included because the Ofgem licence prohibits DNOs and Transmission companies from owning or controlling them.

Posted by: @jeff

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Am not sure if the 560GW is the lower net figure?

The 560GW is the sum of all GB-based generation and storage plants which are not yet connected to the grid, but have firm approval to be so.

It is a Government requirement that DNOs and Transmission companies may not decline a connection application from a potential supplier unless it is technically impossible to deliver.

The list of "Offers to Connect" has recently been pruned to remove projects which were sitting on Offers, but were making negligible progress to deliver the generation.

NESO has now decided to re-order the list.
It used to be "first come, first served",
but will now be giving priority to those connections which are most likely to deliver first.

Since GB will have substantially more generation assets than it can possibly use, our grid will be increasingly deployed to move our generation to the nearest continental Interconnector.

Statnett is using software which automatically routes the electricity to the countries on the European Grid where the price is highest.

We are basically committed to fund the expansion of a Transmission Grid which is designed to accrue the revenues offshore and pay them to shareholders/investors free of UK tax.

You may scream now!

@transparent I think NSL (along with most of the other newer interconnectors) operates under a "Cap and Floor" agreement whereby revenues above a certain level are effectively confiscated/taxed by Ofgem -> though I'm not 100% on top of the details https://www.offshore-energy.biz/ofgem-to-set-final-cap-and-floor-levels-for-north-sea-link/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

I think the cap and floor relates to the operating of the link not a cap and floor of the unit price of electricity through the link