The cost of energy in the UK is rising, creating concern about the effect on vulnerable households, and prompting calls for government intervention.

But do our European neighbors have even bigger problems? As energy prices increase across the European Union (EU), consumers in some member states are paying considerably more for their energy than us, according to a European Commission study released last week. 

The amount that is paid for energy generated from is set to fall at the end of March this year, as the potential returns of harnessing the sunshine that beats down on your roof are trimmed once again.

The savings made by installers of loft insulation, new boilers and cavity wall insulation may only be half the amount promised, but there is one area where many households are keeping warm and cutting their bills – by taking advantage of feed-in tariffs.

Energy secretary Ed Davey has lifted the lid on the government’s new community strategy.

The new strategy will see the creation of a £10 million Urban Community Energy Fund to complement the existing £15 million Rural Community Energy Fund as well as the formation of a dedicated Community Energy Unit within the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). In addition, the government is quadrupling the Green Deal Communities Scheme to £80 million.

More than 400 farmers and landowners from across the Midlands, North Wales and North West England have applied to participate in the Renewable Energy Exchange networking event, which is being staged on Thursday 6 February at Chester Racecourse.

A new low in customer satisfaction with gas and electricity suppliers has revealed "the failings of a broken energy market", according to consumer group Which?

The possibility of a binding renewable energy target for the EU is back on the table at negotiations in Brussels.

PV Tech, Solar Power Portal’s sister site, understands that the current draft of the new 2030 centre piece of the bloc’s climate and energy policy calls for a target of either 27% or 30%. A 24% target, that would represent business as usual, has been ruled out.

The Solar Trade Association’s chief executive Paul Barwell believes that 2014 represents a ‘year of growth’ for solar in the UK.

Speaking to Solar Power Portal ahead of his regular speaking slot at this year’s Solar Energy UK roadshows, Barwell said: “2014 is a year for growth: this is a year where the UK is coming out of a recession and there is now an underlying confidence in the market. >

Over half a million new jobs over the next two decades could be at risk from the UK's opposition to new EU targets for green energy, according to a leaked official report from the European commission.