Latest news with #GuernseyElectricity
BBC News
14-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Why are electricity prices going up in Guernsey?
The price of electricity in Guernsey is going up with tariffs rising next month. As prices in the UK are dropping, what is behind the increase in the island? The BBC used information from Guernsey Electricity Ltd's (GEL) tariff calculator and data from Uswitch to estimate annual costs for low-usage and high-usage households in different regions of England, Scotland and the analysis, a typical low-usage household in Guernsey would spend £637 a year on electricity from July. Depending on the region, in Britain they could expect to save between £7 and £123 a year - between 1% and 19% less than Guernsey. However, heavy electricity users are better off in Guernsey, with a high-usage household to spend on average £1,503 a year from July. The analysis showed British households could expect to spend between £42 and £244 more a year - up to 16% said direct comparisons between the UK and Guernsey were "challenging due to the different tariff structures and pricing models" as well as "the relative economies of scale".Note: The figures do not include special tariffs, such as those for heat pumps or selling renewable energy back to the grid. Low-usage household calculations were based on 1,408 units a year and high-usage based on 5,517 units. Figures include discounts for paying with Direct Debit in UK and Standing Order in Guernsey. Why are prices rising in Guernsey? Guernsey's electricity prices stayed the same from 2012 to 2019, but have since risen price rises mean the average Guernsey household will spend between 47% and 117% more on electricity from July compared with electricity companies in the UK, GEL is responsible for all aspects of electricity on the island, including generating or importing it, distributing it and billing of Guernsey's electricity - about 90% - comes from France through a subsea cable to Jersey, supplying the island with low-carbon the island also has 10 generators at its Vale power station, using a combination of natural gas, diesel and price of electricity was kept "artificially low" through most of the 2010s, according to GEL chief executive Alan was good news for consumers at the time as they paid less than they would have in the UK. However, the company said this led to underinvestment in its infrastructure, which is one of the reasons it is having to raise prices now - to play catch also agreed a fixed price for the electricity it buys from France with EDF, France's government-owned power firm said this protected the island against fluctuations in oil and gas prices caused by factors like the Ukraine that agreement ending, it means the company will need to pay more and it is passing that cost on to consumers, with the latest rise being 8%.Other factors such as increased borrowing costs and decarbonisation plans were also playing a part, said said islanders could save money by switching to its "unique Super Economy 12 tariff" - which could save a typical user £270 a company also offers a 2% discount for customers paying by standing order, it said. Alexandra Gelder, a medical secretary from Castel, said her family paid nearly £200 a month for electricity despite being "barely home" and she was "petrified" about paying her bills next Gelder, who has Raynaud's Syndrome, a condition which can cause the fingers and toes to go numb in cold temperatures, said she could not afford to heat her States home any said conditions were "not so bad" in the summer but "winter is awful"."I love this island, it is beautiful - but to afford to live here sucks," she said. Citizens Advice Guernsey said it had not yet observed an increase in islanders asking for help about electricity bills but it was bracing an increased number of calls when tariffs rise."We strongly encourage anyone concerned about these changes to reach out for advice as early as possible," a spokesperson said it had bought wholesale electricity at a fixed price since 2017, which shielded islanders from "the significant price rises seen in the UK" and had saved customers "more than £70m"."To understand the exact impact of upcoming tariff changes on individual bills, we recommend customers use our online tariff calculator," it said. What are standing charges and how have they changed? Standing charges are a fixed daily fee to cover the costs of connecting to gas and electricity standing charge rose more than 380% between 2021 and July 2025 - from just under £18 to £86.75 a July the standing charge is set to go from £68.25 to £ 2022 GEL said 96% of its income came from charging people for using electricity - the unit the increasing use of renewable energy by households, such as solar panels, meant the amount of money the company made would drop.A GEL spokesperson said the company planned to review how it charged for electricity to make it sustainable, including for customers "who place a lower strain on the island's electricity network". However, the spokesperson said more modern electricity meters would need to be installed before changes could be said "there will not be further large standing charge increases" until the review had been said its tariffs "ensure a secure electricity supply for islanders, with minimal interruptions". "Guernsey performs well compared to other jurisdictions on the average number of minutes lost per customer per year through faults and cable damage, with 99.9% availability of supply maintained across the year," the company said. Visualisations by Georgina Barnes and the BBC Shared Data Unit
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Guernsey traffic light repairs near completion
Work to repair the traffic lights at Admiral Park is expected to be completed by the weekend of 21–22 June, according to Traffic and department apologised for recent disruptions, which have caused long queues, particularly during peak commuting hours. The delays stem from faults in the traffic detection loops at the junction, it said. Two of the three faulty loops, on the southbound and Elizabeth Avenue arms, had already been replaced, it added. Engineers reactivated the permanent signals earlier this week, but further issues were discovered on the northbound arm, said the department. A temporary fix had been implemented, with full repairs scheduled for later this and Highways also said that the ongoing closure of Amherst Road for Guernsey Electricity works had increased pressure on the junction. However, it believed the temporary signal reconfiguration would help ease department said it would continue to monitor the junction and make further adjustments if needed, and reiterated its apology for the inconvenience caused.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Guernsey Electric price increases will 'overhwhelm poorest'
Guernsey's electricity supplier is being urged by a woman who is unable to work for health reasons to rethink its decision to raise Guernsey Electricity Limited (GEL) announced last week its standing tariff will rise 8% from £68.25 to £86.75 per quarter from July. The States Trading Supervisory Board (STSB) said the increases are needed because it is not "commercially sustainable" for GEL to keep borrowing to cover infrastructure costs. Islander Clare Martin receives income support due to being unable to work following cancer treatment and said the hike will be "overwhelming" for islanders on low incomes. It comes after GEL rates increased by 13% in 2023 and by 10% in Martin developed a rare blood cancer in 2023, which meant she had to stop work and undergo months of intensive chemotherapy treatment in Southampton. She said when she first heard electricity prices were set to increase she felt "really overwhelmed and scared". "I am already in debt with the electric because of being in hospital and having no family to help with that - its really overwhelming," she said. She now fears being unable to afford day-to-day living costs, and says she is left with £40 a month after paying for her electricity. She said: "There are a lot of people out there that are in a similar situation unable to work."It's not only the physical side of things but the mental aspect as well, because you worry - where will I get the extra money from?"GEL CEO Alan Bates said the increases are needed to ensure the company remains operational. "It's not about creating anything new for the future, this is just really keeping us where we are today so we don't see more power cuts or faults in the road," he told BBC Radio Guernsey.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Guernsey Electricity CEO says price rises 'needed for reliability'
An above-inflation price rise will allow Guernsey Electricity Ltd (GEL) to maintain the reliability and security of the island's electricity supply, according to the company's week GEL announced an 8% price rise, with the standing charge set to go from £68.25 to £ to BBC Radio Guernsey, CEO Alan Bates said: "It's not about creating anything new for the future, this is just really keeping us where we are today so we don't see more power cuts or faults in the road."Mr Bates said more money would be needed for the company's future plans, adding: "Investment today is very much about standing still." The company had originally asked the States Trading Supervisory Board, which oversees GEL, to raise prices by 9.5%.Mr Bates said the lower price increase would "slow down" some of the companies planned activity. How much are prices going up? The 8% increase is being spread among the standing charge and the price per unit of electricity, the company charge - rising from £68.25 to £86.75 per quarterStandard tariff- rising from 23.89p to 24.77p per unitSuper Economy tariff (peak rate) - rising from 25.31p to 26.45p per unitSuper Economy tariff (off peak) - rising from 11.40p to 12.26p per unitGEL said a typical domestic customer with electric heating would pay about £57 more a those without electric heating will pay about £35 more a quarter quarter.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cost of electricity in Guernsey rises as fixed-price deals end
The price of electricity in Guernsey is to rise from 1 States' Trading Supervisory Board (STSB) granted Guernsey Electricity (GEL) an increase of 8% to be split between the charge per unit of electricity and the fixed standing STSB has also approved a 2.5% increase in quarterly standing charges from 12.5% to 15%.The decision comes after Guernsey Electricity (GEL) applied to the government for an increase of 9.5% because its long-term fixed price agreements for the import of electricity are due to end. The STSB said the quarterly standing charges for households would rise from £68.25 to £86.75, the equivalent of about 95p per said this rebalancing would protect customers who were unable to install their own renewable electricity generation. It said customers generating renewable electricity paid less in unit charges as the amount they bought decreased, but they remained connected to the mains network to supplement their generation president deputy Peter Roffey said while the bills had been kept "artificially low" GEL had been unable to adequately invest in the network. He said GEL had spent more than £30m in maintaining and upgrading the local network but much of this had been financed through borrowing. The STSB said it was "not commercially sustainable" for GEL to continue borrowing to maintain its current electricity firm said it planned to invest about £12m in 2025 and £10m in 2026 as well as a contribution of around £10m towards the replacement of the Normandie 2 cable between France and Jersey between now and board said GEL would be expected to make efficiency savings of about £1.8m by the end of 2027 to reduce the need for future tariff benefit would be passed on to customers, the board added.
