Post price hikes best value energy providers revealed 3 September 2008

Following the second round of devastating price hikes from all big six energy giants this year, moneysupermarket.com reveals Brits could save as much as 63 per cent on their energy bills by moving to the cheapest available product. Meaning a staggering saving of £5.84 billion for UK consumers.

Research from the price comparison site shows the online dual fuel deal from British Gas - Click Energy 5 - is the best value tariff across all 14 UK regions. Those in the East of England would pay the least at £824 a year. However, they would be paying £1,377 - £553 or 67 per cent more - if they stayed on their incumbent providers standard tariff paying by quarterly cash or cheque. Customers worst affected, following the recent price hikes, are those in the North East who are facing annual bills in excess of £1396. By moving to the cheapest online deal available they could save around £531 per year.

On average across the UK, households could save £531 a year if they moved away from their region's incumbent provider's standard tariff and opted for the best value tariff available. If all customers who are yet to change energy tariff moved to the best possible deal, the country would save £5.84 billion on its energy bills.

Brits have suffered massive increases this summer, with the cost of gas going up 29 per cent on average and electricity seeing an average increase of 14 per cent. Since the beginning of the year consumers have faced an overall increases of 52 and 28 per cent respectively.

Scott Byrom, utilities manager at moneysupermarket.com, said: "Households have been dealt with an almighty blow this summer with all six energy giants hiking their prices for the second time this year. It's more important than ever for Brits not to be lulled into thinking they will automatically get the best deal with their current provider. I urge customers to proactively check the market to ensure they find the tariff that most suits their circumstances. Online products continue to lead the way in terms of value with monthly direct debit payments offering the highest level of customer discounts.

"However, it's important to note that online products are likely to increase in price over the coming weeks as providers jostle for top position. As a result, consumers should keep a watchful eye on the market to ensure they get the right deal.

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Slash you bills by learning to think green

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Climate 'hockey stick' is revived

A new study by climate scientists behind the controversial 1998 "hockey stick" graph suggests their earlier analysis was broadly correct.

Michael Mann's team analysed data for the last 2,000 years, and concluded that Northern Hemisphere temperatures now are "anomalously warm".

Different analytical methods give the same result, they report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The 1998 hockey stick was a totem of debates over man-made global warming.

The graph - indicating that Northern Hemisphere temperatures had been roughly constant for 1,000 years (the "shaft" of the stick) before turning abruptly upwards in the industrial age - featured prominently in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2001 assessment.

But some academics questioned its methodology and conclusions, and increasingly strident condemnations reverberated around the blogosphere.

One US politician demanded to see financial and research records from the scientists involved.

However, a 2006 report from the National Research Council (NRC), commissioned by the US Congress, broadly endorsed its conclusion that Northern Hemisphere temperatures in the late 20th Century were probably warmer than at any time in the previous 400 years, and perhaps at any time during the previous 1,000 years.

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The heat is on

As two energy suppliers hike prices again, the temperature is rising for households and firms, writes Nathalie Thomas

WHEN, in the grip of the 1970s oil crisis, US President Jimmy Carter advised Americans to turn down their heating, wear more jumpers and switch off their Christmas lights, he was mocked by his critics as a "feckless thermostat-watcher in a cardigan".

But 30 years later, on this side of the pond, households are starting to sit up and listen to his tips after two more energy companies last week unveiled their second price rises in a year.

To the chagrin of consumers already squeezed by spiralling food and petrol prices, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and E.ON told customers on Thursday they will have to shoulder increases of as much as 29%.

For SSE customers, the announcement followed a near 16% hike in gas bills in March, while E.ON had already raised its gas and electricity prices by 15% and 9.7% in February.

SSE and E.ON are not alone. Scottish Gas customers were left holding their heads in their hands last month when it announced a 35% increase in retail gas prices, just six months after raising gas bills by 15%. The French energy giant EDF, which has five million UK customers, also unveiled a second round of double-digit rises in July.

Consumer groups such as Energywatch warned that this second round of increases will push the number of UK households living in fuel poverty above five million for the first time in decades.

"The brakes have failed on the energy market," said Adam Scorer, campaigns director at Energywatch. "The results are calamitous."

Business groups, including the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), cautioned that the rises will also have a detrimental effect on the economy, in particular Scotland's army of small firms.

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