Ten tips to beat energy price hikes

LONDON (Reuters) - The average cost of household gas prices is predicted to rise by up to 40 percent this year. Following is a list of tips from consumer organisations on how to fight back.
1. Check out tariffs
2. Are you entitled to benefits?
3. Could you sign up for social tariffs?
4. Get free advice
5. Get a grant to improve the energy efficiency of your home
6. Get energy-efficient light bulbs
8. Curtain call
9. Turn off your computer and other electrical appliances.
10. Insulate your loft

You can also get a list of the supply companies operating in your area, together with the prices they charge, from Energywatch, the gas and electricity watchdog, by calling 0845 906 0708.

If you are over 60 and not receiving the payment, call the government's Winter Fuel Payment helpline on 08459 151 515.

Ron Cambell of National Energy Action advises all customers to freephone 0800 512 012 to speak to their local Energy Efficiency Advice centre.

Grants cover loft and cavity wall insulation, draft prevention, repairs of faulty boilers and assessment of your home's energy status. To check your eligibility, freephone 0800 316 6011.

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British families pay almost £800 per year in 'dishonest' green taxes

Every family in Britain is paying nearly £800 a year in a 'dishonest' green tax grab, a shocking report said last night.

Hard-pressed households are forking out the staggering sum on flights, fuel and for their cars even though it is 'unnecessary', said low tax campaigners.

Figures published by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) suggest hard-working Britons pay £19.6billion a year too much in tax aimed at covering its carbon footprint.

The levies included fuel duty, vehicle excise duty, landfill tax, climate change levy and the renewables obligation, which is the cost to the taxpayer of power companies generating electricity from environmentally-friendly energy sources.

Subtracting the £8.8billion spent by the Department of Transport on roads last year gives a total burden of green taxes and charges of £24.2billion.
By Ian Drury


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Even "green" energy needs lower oil price

As a lengthening economic slowdown bites, the antidote for the renewable energy sector may come as a surprise -- a lower oil price.

Government subsidies and record prices for competing fossil fuels have underpinned the alternative energy boom, but now they are now starting to work against the sector.

Reliance on subsidies exposes the likes of wind and solar power to the whim of governments grappling with wider voter priorities during a global economic slowdown.

As oil and energy bills have soared consumers have become less tolerant of the extra costs passed on to them by utilities for the greener option.

"Government priorities in the last five years or so have been very clearly environment, security of supply, and way down the list has been price... all of a sudden affordability has shot to the top," said Citigroup utilities analyst Peter Atherton.

"If oil drops back to $80 then government can probably live with it (the extra cost of climate policies)."

Higher oil prices have made onshore wind competitive with natural gas, making continuing subsidies there less important, but more expensive renewable energy sectors and especially solar will be hurt by a policy pull-back.

Europe, the United States, China and India want to ramp up power production from low-carbon wind, solar and biomass to battle climate change and source more secure, domestic energy.

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Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings

In recent months, chains including Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl’s, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have installed solar panels on roofs of their stores to generate electricity on a large scale. One reason they are racing is to beat a Dec. 31 deadline to gain tax advantages for these projects.

So far, most chains have outfitted fewer than 10 percent of their stores. Over the long run, assuming Congress renews a favorable tax provision and more states offer incentives, the chains promise a solar construction program that would ultimately put panels atop almost every big store in the country.

The trend, while not entirely new, is accelerating as the chains seize a chance to bolster their environmental credentials by cutting back on their use of electricity from coal.

“It’s very clear that green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector,” said Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley. “Not only will you see panels on the roofs of your local stores, but I suspect very soon retailers will have stickers in their windows saying, ‘This is a green energy store.’ ”

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