UK energy bills to rise by an additional £5.3bn to fund 2020 emissions targets

At a time when consumer energy prices are already rising, a new report from Ernst & Young - Costing the earth? - has estimated that the typical UK domestic energy bill will need to increase by an additional 20%, and probably more, to pay for the cost of meeting the EU's 2020 emissions targets. This will lead to a total annual cost of £5.3bn to UK consumers in 2020. The 20% rise is the minimum additional contribution each domestic household will have to make through their energy bill, to fund the £100bn plus capital investment required for the UK to meet emissions reduction and renewable energy targets for 2020. The rise (which does not factor in commodity prices and strips out inflation) equates to an increase of £213 per UK household on energy bills, leading to many more consumers being caught within the government's definition of fuel poverty.

He concludes, “There is no silver bullet to meeting the UK and EU imposed reductions in emissions by 2020. Successfully achieving those targets in the UK will require concerted action by energy suppliers working in partnership with government, little to no delays in the construction of low carbon generation such as new nuclear and renewables, clarity on policy mechanisms and better education for customers that they will have to pay for low carbon generation.”

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Warning on estimated power bills

Energy customers with estimated bills could be racking up debts of hundreds of pounds without realising it, according to Citizens Advice.
The charity says thousands of people have got in touch over their estimated gas and electric bills.
In the worst cases people have found they owed over £1,000 when they thought their direct debits were covering their energy costs.
It blamed the problem on spiralling tariffs and billing issues.

Tony Herbert, a senior policy officer with Citizens Advice, said with energy costs forecast to rise further this winter, the problem is likely to get worse.
"Families can rack up huge fuel bills without even realising it because the amount they're paying is actually based on estimated readings."

With energy bills set to rise sharply in the winter, both energy companies and advice organisations are recommending that people keep a close eye on their bills and check their gas and electricity meters themselves.
By Sarah Pennells

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Solar dyes give a guiding light

A new way of capturing the energy from the Sun could increase the power generated by solar panels tenfold, a team of American scientists has shown.
The new technique involves coating glass with a specific mixture of transparent dyes which redirect light to photovoltaic cells in the frame.
The technology, outlined in the journal Science, could be used to convert glass buildings into vast energy plants.
The technology could be in production within three years, the team said.
"It makes sense to coat the side of [very tall] buildings with these new panes," Professor Marc Baldo, one of the researchers on the team, told BBC News. "It's not far fetched at all."

Colour trick

The most advanced attempts to generate large amounts of electricity via the Sun require the use of a solar concentrator.
These are often bulky mobile mirrors that work by tracking the progress of the Sun and concentrating its beams on the cell at its heart.
The new technology does away with the need for mirrors and mobility
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team has found a way to coat panes of glass or plastic with a mixture of several dyes that essentially do the same job.
"What we have is a piece of glass, with a very thin layer of paint or dye on top," explained Professor Baldo.
"The light comes in and hits the dye and which absorbs it and re-emits the light, but now it's inside the glass so it bounces along there until it gets to the edge. So you only need to mount the solar cells around the edge."
But there are downsides to this technology: the cells at the centre have to be constantly cooled, and each concentrator requires a large amount of space to avoid shadowing its neighbour

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British Gas Poised to Flick Price Hike Switch

Industry analysts are predicting the next raft of price hikes will take effect at the end of this month.

Rumoured energy price increases will be kicked off by British Gas (www.britishgas.co.uk) in two weeks time according to industry insiders.

The price hikes, anticipated to be in the region of 15%, will be prompted by soaring wholesale energy prices, with gas prices having trebled over the past 12 months. The cost of gas is intrinsically linked to the price of crude oil, which leapt to a new record of nearly $146.69 a barrel yesterday.
Adding to the pressure on Britain's energy suppliers, wholesale coal prices were also driven to record levels last week.

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, finds itself especially stretched due to its reliance on paying premium prices for gas on the open market. Historically, Centrica has suffered from a shortage of its own gas and power supplies, and as result has to buy expensively from abroad.

BY Dan Drage
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