Staff at a leading regional renewable energy company are working through the night to cope with a surge in orders as householders rush to beat a looming “cash” deadline.
Since the Government announced it was reducing the money it pays for electricity generated by solar panels on domestic properties, Harrogate-based Clean Energy (Yorkshire) have been working around the clock to cope with demand.
A month ago, the business, based at Pannal Business Park, was working on an average of 10 installations a week. But, when it was announced the feed-in tariff was to be cut from 43.3p per unit to 21p per unit from December 12, this number has now soared to more than 25 a week.
full article
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Friday, 2 December 2011
Homeowners could get £100 energy bill reprieve
Energy customers could see their bills fall by £100 in the next year due to falling wholesale prices if the Eurozone collapses.
According to figures from comparison website Energyhelpline.com the wholesale cost of gas has already slumped 21pc since the peak in early September. Then, it was 78.3 pence per therm. It now stands at 61.5 pence per therm. During the same period, wholesale electricity prices dropped 15pc, falling from £5.62 per Megawatt Hour to £4.79 per Megawatt Hour.
Forecasts from the site indicate that, should the euro collapse, the impact on global energy markets is likely to be similar to the period 2008-09 following the demise of Lehman Brothers' when wholesale prices crashed by 66pc. This led to two years of tentative price drops in residential energy prices with reductions of 6.9pc in 2009 and of around 5pc in 2010.
Applied to the current average annual dual fuel bill of £1,345, a 6.9pc price drop would lead to residential price cuts of £93 next year.
full article
According to figures from comparison website Energyhelpline.com the wholesale cost of gas has already slumped 21pc since the peak in early September. Then, it was 78.3 pence per therm. It now stands at 61.5 pence per therm. During the same period, wholesale electricity prices dropped 15pc, falling from £5.62 per Megawatt Hour to £4.79 per Megawatt Hour.
Forecasts from the site indicate that, should the euro collapse, the impact on global energy markets is likely to be similar to the period 2008-09 following the demise of Lehman Brothers' when wholesale prices crashed by 66pc. This led to two years of tentative price drops in residential energy prices with reductions of 6.9pc in 2009 and of around 5pc in 2010.
Applied to the current average annual dual fuel bill of £1,345, a 6.9pc price drop would lead to residential price cuts of £93 next year.
full article
Friday, 25 November 2011
Ten money-saving tips for winter
1. It's NOT cheaper to leave heating on all day. The Energy Saving Trust says it's better to switch on for just an hour before you wake up and arrive home.
2. Anyone can get £300 of cavity wall and loft insulation FREE. This can cut your energy bill by £200 a year. EDF and Tesco Home Efficiency are offering the freebie even if you are not their customer, so long as you have a suitable home. British Gas also have a similar deal for their customers.
3. Find your stopcock and check how to turn it off. Damage from water when burst frozen pipes thaw can cost £25,000. If you go away, drain the water system or leave the heating on a little each day.
4. Switch your gas and electricity tariffs. It's the perfect time to shop around and you could even offset the past year's hikes. Switching takes up to six weeks, so act now. Use a comparison site approved by consumerfocus.org.uk. Or go to mse.me/gaselec for a top deal PLUS £30 cashback.
5. Claim your winter fuel payments. Households with someone born before January 6, 1951, are entitled to up to £200 tax-free (£300 for the over-80s). If you have never claimed before, register on 0845 915 1515.
6. Pre-payment meter users can save too. Ask to convert to a "credit meter", where you are billed. It works out cheaper. Some providers do this for free.
If not, or it's unaffordable, you can compare and switch tariffs and, when switching, see if your new supplier will let you switch to a credit meter for free. See mse.me/prepay.
7. Slash £100 a year off your boiler insurance. Don't always stay with your energy provider's cover, see comparison sites uswitch.com, energyhelpline.com and boilerchoices.co.uk — and check out those missed, including Npower's Hometeam 50 and Eon.
8. Chuck on another jumper. It's cheaper than turning up the heat — even adding just one degree can cost £60 a year. Full draught-proofing also helps, saving about £55 a year.
9. A monthly direct debit can save £100 a year. But do regular meter readings to keep your payment accurate.
10. Switch your nan's tariff! Many elderly people overpay. With their consent, sit down and compare prices for them — it could save them hundreds a year
full article
2. Anyone can get £300 of cavity wall and loft insulation FREE. This can cut your energy bill by £200 a year. EDF and Tesco Home Efficiency are offering the freebie even if you are not their customer, so long as you have a suitable home. British Gas also have a similar deal for their customers.
3. Find your stopcock and check how to turn it off. Damage from water when burst frozen pipes thaw can cost £25,000. If you go away, drain the water system or leave the heating on a little each day.
4. Switch your gas and electricity tariffs. It's the perfect time to shop around and you could even offset the past year's hikes. Switching takes up to six weeks, so act now. Use a comparison site approved by consumerfocus.org.uk. Or go to mse.me/gaselec for a top deal PLUS £30 cashback.
5. Claim your winter fuel payments. Households with someone born before January 6, 1951, are entitled to up to £200 tax-free (£300 for the over-80s). If you have never claimed before, register on 0845 915 1515.
6. Pre-payment meter users can save too. Ask to convert to a "credit meter", where you are billed. It works out cheaper. Some providers do this for free.
If not, or it's unaffordable, you can compare and switch tariffs and, when switching, see if your new supplier will let you switch to a credit meter for free. See mse.me/prepay.
7. Slash £100 a year off your boiler insurance. Don't always stay with your energy provider's cover, see comparison sites uswitch.com, energyhelpline.com and boilerchoices.co.uk — and check out those missed, including Npower's Hometeam 50 and Eon.
8. Chuck on another jumper. It's cheaper than turning up the heat — even adding just one degree can cost £60 a year. Full draught-proofing also helps, saving about £55 a year.
9. A monthly direct debit can save £100 a year. But do regular meter readings to keep your payment accurate.
10. Switch your nan's tariff! Many elderly people overpay. With their consent, sit down and compare prices for them — it could save them hundreds a year
full article
Thursday, 24 November 2011
British Gas has said it is simplifying its tariffs
Earlier this year, the regulator Ofgem told energy companies they must offer simpler tariffs.
Following a comprehensive review of the UK energy market sparked by claims that energy companies were making excessive profits, Ofgem said suppliers needed to change the way they operated by next year.
Ofgem welcomed the move, saying that British Gas had recognised that suppliers need an "open and honest dialogue" with their customers.
It said it would examine the company's proposals in detail to see how far they met its own objectives to simplify tariffs.
Earlier this week, E.On announced it had "pressed the reset button" on its relationship with customers, while other major energy suppliers have said they are working towards simplifying their tariffs.
"As part of urgently restoring confidence we are calling on all suppliers to get behind Ofgem's reforms to deliver what consumers tell us they want - a simpler, more competitive energy market," said Ian Marlee, of Ofgem.
"Without the decisive break with the past that Ofgem's reforms offer consumers will continue to mistrust energy suppliers."
'Complete breakdown'
Mr Bentley told the BBC's Newsnight that British Gas was making the changes because its customers had said they did not like the current pricing structures.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
It is clear that we need to make things better for our customers”
Phil Bentley Managing director, British Gas
How to read your bill
How to switch suppliers
"We are very conscious of our social responsibility," he said.
He said bills were going up in part due to increasing transport costs and green levies.
He also admitted that British Gas had offered cheap deals at a loss to the company in order to attract customers because they would be at the top of price comparison tables. The company would no longer be doing this, he said.
"It is not right if we are charging honest customers more [to fund these deals]," he said.
The supplier is sending a letter to all its customers explaining its new policy, in which Mr Bentley says: "It is clear that we need to make things better for our customers. To make sure we do that, I am committed to having an honest conversation with [them]."
As well as offering just two tariffs, the supplier said that, from this month, it will include a "complete breakdown" of all the costs that make up its customers' bills.
Earlier this week, British Gas announced it had secured a £13bn gas supply contract with Norway's Statoil designed to help insulate customers from volatility in global gas prices.
Hundreds of tariffs
Watchdog Consumer Focus said there had been 70 new tariffs launched this year by energy companies, bringing the total to about 400. It said that simplifying tariffs would not have a direct effect on prices.
Gas ring The regulator Ofgem has told energy companies to make their tariffs simpler
"Energy is a simple product, it should also be a simple market. Reducing the number and complexity of tariffs will not bring prices down by itself, but it will help people understand their energy costs and get the best deal available," said Adam Scorer, of Consumer Focus.
Energy company E.On said its own review would take six months to complete, and would look at tariffs, bills, customer support and how it sells its products.
Ofgem has said that it wants to see one standard tariff per fuel per payment option - such as by direct debit, prepayment meter, or cash or cheque.
It said fixed-term contracts would also be allowed, where the price would be unchanged or track a particular index.
As well as calling for simpler tariffs following its review, the regulator said that it had found evidence the so-called big six energy firms had increased their prices in response to rising costs more quickly than they had lowered them in response to costs falling.
The suppliers, it said, should face more competition.
full article
Following a comprehensive review of the UK energy market sparked by claims that energy companies were making excessive profits, Ofgem said suppliers needed to change the way they operated by next year.
Ofgem welcomed the move, saying that British Gas had recognised that suppliers need an "open and honest dialogue" with their customers.
It said it would examine the company's proposals in detail to see how far they met its own objectives to simplify tariffs.
Earlier this week, E.On announced it had "pressed the reset button" on its relationship with customers, while other major energy suppliers have said they are working towards simplifying their tariffs.
"As part of urgently restoring confidence we are calling on all suppliers to get behind Ofgem's reforms to deliver what consumers tell us they want - a simpler, more competitive energy market," said Ian Marlee, of Ofgem.
"Without the decisive break with the past that Ofgem's reforms offer consumers will continue to mistrust energy suppliers."
'Complete breakdown'
Mr Bentley told the BBC's Newsnight that British Gas was making the changes because its customers had said they did not like the current pricing structures.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
It is clear that we need to make things better for our customers”
Phil Bentley Managing director, British Gas
How to read your bill
How to switch suppliers
"We are very conscious of our social responsibility," he said.
He said bills were going up in part due to increasing transport costs and green levies.
He also admitted that British Gas had offered cheap deals at a loss to the company in order to attract customers because they would be at the top of price comparison tables. The company would no longer be doing this, he said.
"It is not right if we are charging honest customers more [to fund these deals]," he said.
The supplier is sending a letter to all its customers explaining its new policy, in which Mr Bentley says: "It is clear that we need to make things better for our customers. To make sure we do that, I am committed to having an honest conversation with [them]."
As well as offering just two tariffs, the supplier said that, from this month, it will include a "complete breakdown" of all the costs that make up its customers' bills.
Earlier this week, British Gas announced it had secured a £13bn gas supply contract with Norway's Statoil designed to help insulate customers from volatility in global gas prices.
Hundreds of tariffs
Watchdog Consumer Focus said there had been 70 new tariffs launched this year by energy companies, bringing the total to about 400. It said that simplifying tariffs would not have a direct effect on prices.
Gas ring The regulator Ofgem has told energy companies to make their tariffs simpler
"Energy is a simple product, it should also be a simple market. Reducing the number and complexity of tariffs will not bring prices down by itself, but it will help people understand their energy costs and get the best deal available," said Adam Scorer, of Consumer Focus.
Energy company E.On said its own review would take six months to complete, and would look at tariffs, bills, customer support and how it sells its products.
Ofgem has said that it wants to see one standard tariff per fuel per payment option - such as by direct debit, prepayment meter, or cash or cheque.
It said fixed-term contracts would also be allowed, where the price would be unchanged or track a particular index.
As well as calling for simpler tariffs following its review, the regulator said that it had found evidence the so-called big six energy firms had increased their prices in response to rising costs more quickly than they had lowered them in response to costs falling.
The suppliers, it said, should face more competition.
full article
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