Aftermarket November 2022

T he week following the Queen’s funeral saw politics in the UK come roaring back, and the engine of government splutter back to life, before falling into complete chaos. During the summer months, the Conservative Party leadership contest precluded any government decisions being made on how to support businesses in the UK in the face of soaring energy costs. Those in automotive, be they garages, bodyshops, suppliers, sales outlets or manufacturers were particularly exposed. Unprecedented rise With this in mind, with a new Prime Minister in the form of Liz Truss leading a new cabinet, work began in earnest to set the country up for what could be a hard winter. Earlier in September, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg announced long-awaited plans to provide specific support on energy costs for businesses. Garages and other UK businesses are now seeing their energy bills reach just half the level predicted for the winter, via government support unveiled on Wednesday 21 September. The discount on wholesale gas and electricity is being provided by the government to businesses, through the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which is equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee for households, announced earlier in the month. It applies to businesses with fixed contracts and has been in place since 1 October, and will run through to 31 March 2023. The Supported Wholesale Price has been set at £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas. This is less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter. A parallel scheme will be set up for Northern Ireland. Commenting on the scheme when it was launched, Business Secretary Jacob Rees- Mogg said: “We have seen an unprecedented rise in energy prices following Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, which has affected consumers up and down the country and businesses of all sizes. The help we are already putting in place will save families money off their bills, and the government’s plans for businesses, charities and public sector organisations will give them the equivalent level of support. This, alongside the measures we are taking to boost the amount of domestic energy we produce to improve both energy security and supply, will increase growth, protect jobs and support families with 8 AFTERMARKET NOVEMBER 2022 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net A WASTE OF ENERGY? September saw support for businesses on energy costs announced as the government looked to get ahead of the curve The work performed by a garage will be by its nature energy- intensive ” Above: Some garages may be able to consider installing solar panels