Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 7, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK proposes discounts for homes near new pylons to aid grid upgrades. Households could save £2,500 over 10 years. Ofgem tightens smart meter rules.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain could offer households located near new electricity pylons a discount of up to 250 pounds ($334) a year on their bills, the government said on Thursday, as it seeks to encourage acceptance of infrastructure needed to upgrade the grid.
Britain plans to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030 which will require many new renewable power projects and infrastructure, including pylons to connect them to the grid.
“As we build the infrastructure, we need to deliver homegrown, affordable energy, communities must be given a stake,” Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said in a statement.
Around twice as much new transmission network infrastructure will be needed by 2030 as has been built in the last decade, the government said, but in many regions, communities have opposed large pylon projects that critics say blight the landscape.
Under the proposed scheme, households near new pylons could save up to 2,500 pounds over 10 years, via a 125 pound discount on bills every six months.
Britain's energy regulator Ofgem on Thursday also set out tougher requirements for suppliers to install or fix broken smart meters.
From 2026 suppliers would need to pay compensation to customers if they have to wait more than six weeks for an installation appointment, or if they are too slow in fixing problems with installed equipment.
($1 = 0.7483 pounds)
(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Households located near new electricity pylons could receive a discount of up to 250 pounds per year on their bills, totaling up to 2,500 pounds over 10 years.
The government aims to encourage communities to support the construction of new renewable energy infrastructure, which is necessary for decarbonising the electricity sector by 2030.
Ofgem has set tougher requirements for energy suppliers to install or fix broken smart meters, including compensation for customers who wait more than six weeks for an installation.
The government stated that around twice as much new transmission network infrastructure will be required by 2030 compared to what has been built in the last decade.
Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh emphasized the need for communities to have a stake in the energy infrastructure being built to ensure affordable energy.
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