Ofgem Joke

Lisatiane

How does Ofgem decide which energy company to dump those customers whose companies have gone bust?  I was with Pure Planet.  I chose them because I wanted 100 percent gas and electricity from renewables. Ofgem must have been having a laugh by sticking us with Shell of all companies. I want nothing to do with that company and can’t wait to switch.

MWT

I understand the intent, but we are still a long way from any supplier being able to provide that, when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow...

Coal powered energy was part of the mix for Pure Planet just like everyone else this year, unless you subscribe to the fiction that is the REGO system...

Also a company part owned by BP might not have been the first choice for a renewable objective...

fryedslyce

Lisatiane said:

How does Ofgem decide which energy company to dump those customers whose companies have gone bust?  I was with Pure Planet.  I chose them because I wanted 100 percent gas and electricity from renewables. Ofgem must have been having a laugh by sticking us with Shell of all companies. I want nothing to do with that company and can’t wait to switch.

No need to kick up a stink, sign up with Uranus Energy, guaranteed to be 100% wind generated.

Ultrasonic

Lisatiane said:

How does Ofgem decide which energy company to dump those customers whose companies have gone bust?  I was with Pure Planet.  I chose them because I wanted 100 percent gas and electricity from renewables. Ofgem must have been having a laugh by sticking us with Shell of all companies. I want nothing to do with that company and can’t wait to switch.

The new tariff is 100% renewable electricity, and as mentioned above Pure Planet were backed by BP so there's not that much difference. 

Thrugelmir

Lisatiane said:

I want nothing to do with that company and can’t wait to switch.

Oil companies are the future. Transition will take time. 

https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/new-energies.html

[Deleted User]

Lisatiane said:

How does Ofgem decide which energy company to dump those customers whose companies have gone bust?  I was with Pure Planet.  I chose them because I wanted 100 percent gas and electricity from renewables. Ofgem must have been having a laugh by sticking us with Shell of all companies. I want nothing to do with that company and can’t wait to switch.

To answer your original question, suppliers bid to become SoLRs. Ofgem then chooses the most suitable supplier based on a number of criteria: not least its ability to service the additional customer numbers without it affecting the supplier’s original customer base. If there are a number of bidders, then Ofgem will look at the cost of the process: that is, what the supplier intends to claim in the way of repayments. The SoLR process is designed solely to keep the lights on. It doesn’t take into account green issues such as where the energy is sourced. 

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2017/09/solr_revised_guidance_final_21-10-2016.pdf

Are suppliers that use REGOs actually Green?

“Pure Planet is proud to supply 100% renewable electricity and carbon offset gas to homes all over Britain. ... “Pure Planet uses the very same green certification as every other green supplier. There are no separate or different grades of REGO.

It follows that PP like most energy suppliers was happy to use gas from all sources and then pay a third-party to plant a few trees. The process is known as Greenwashing.

MWT

Lisatiane said:

Ofgem must have been having a laugh by sticking us with Shell of all companies. I want nothing to do with that company and can’t wait to switch.

I guess they are having the last laugh, they moved customers from a supplier claiming 100% renewable energy that was backed by an oil company and moved them to another oil company backed supplier claiming 100% renewable energy, and customers are complaining about one but not the other...

macman

Pure Planet or Shell, your generating source on the grid will be exactly the same...your local power station, however it's powered.
Suppliers aren't exactly queueing up to take on customers under SoLR, so Ofgem is having to find them where they can.
If another major supplier fails (say one with 300,00 or more customers), then SoLR won't cope, and another method will have to be found to maintain supply. Effectively, nationalisation, though it won't be called that of course.

brewerdave

macman said:

Suppliers aren't exactly queueing up to take on customers under SoLR, so Ofgem is having to find them where they can.
If another major supplier fails (say one with 300,00 or more customers), then SoLR won't cope, and another method will have to be found to maintain supply. Effectively, nationalisation, though it won't be called that of course.

The CEO of the EDF customer division has made it clear that they wouldn't be taking any more SOLR customers. By implication he was suggesting that they could decline to serve even if selected by OFGEM.
I think that speculation about Bulb with its 1.5 million+ customers, has lent credence to the idea of "nationalisation" as no supplier could cope with that size of failure.

macman

Ofgem has probably done some heavy-duty arm twisting already to SoLR the numbers it has transferred this year. If EDF are now saying 'enough is enough', then I'd imagine that the other members of the Big Five will take exactly the same line if pressured.
I'm not aware that Ofgem can compel any supplier to take on customers, because, pre-price cap, a scenario where taking on customers would result in an immediate loss to the supplier was simply never envisaged.

MWT

macman said:

I'm not aware that Ofgem can compel any supplier to take on customers, because, pre-price cap, a scenario where taking on customers would result in an immediate loss to the supplier was simply never envisaged.

Ofgem can compel a supplier to act as a SoLR but it is very unlikely to do so as it would risk causing a bigger problem if it forced a supplier to the point of its own failure...

Far more likely they would keep a large failed supplier going under 'new management' until the market conditions allowed it to be broken up or sold off.

They have already made the necessary preparations for this.