UK to train army of energy advisors

The UK Government is to train hundreds of workers from Citizens Advice Bureaux, Housing Associations and other organisations to advise low income households on energy efficiency.

The advisors will be able to give individuals tips on switching suppliers to get the best energy deal, how to insulate their homes and other energy efficiency measures that they can take.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock announced the Energy Best Deal campaign yesterday, which is being funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and rolled out by Ofgem.

“This new army of energy advisors that we are training will be on the frontline helping people find the best energy deal available and giving energy efficiency advice that will make a real difference to their bills, their homes and their carbon footprint,” said Ruddock.

The new scheme will provide advice on getting support for heating and energy efficiency improvements through the Government’s Warm Front programme and the recently announced £1 billion Home Energy Saving programme.

For further information:
www.decc.gov.uk
www.warmfront.co.uk/
www.ofgem.gov.uk/Pages/OfgemHome.aspx

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Eco-double glaze your home for £700

It was Mrs O'Kelly's determination to double glaze the sash window of the bathroom that turned me into an enthusiast for cutting carbon emissions...and our £1,200-a-year fuel bill.

The estimated cost was £700, and she was saying we 'might as well' do the 18-odd other windows in our 1885 South London Victorian terrace house for about £12,000 - an outlay that would take decades to pay for itself.

Furthermore, it would look vile.

Like so many others who own period properties - 20 per cent of the 22 million homes in England and Wales are pre-1918 - we have only slowly got to grips with our profligate energy consumption.

We have followed the fashion of recent years, making our house less insulated than when we moved in 12 years ago: carpets have been taken up in favourof draughty floorboards and old curtains replaced with blinds.

Last year, I made a start by buying three sets of heavy, interlined curtains, which instantly warmed up the house on winter nights.

Gordon Brown's visit to the nearby Sheehan family in Balham last month to unveil his £910 million energy aid package goaded me to further efforts.

Sue Sheehan saved 42% on her heating bills - £300 to £400 - by rigorously draught-proofing a house little different to ours.

Most interestingly, she had double glazed her pleasant old sash windows with clear plastic secondary glazing attached to the window frame with magnetic tape.

'I did get a quote for glass but it was £7,500, while the plastic panels cost £700 for the entire house,' said Sue, 43, an avowed eco-evangelist who is, ironically, a motoring journalist.

'They made more difference than anything else in keeping the house warm and after two winters they will pay for themselves.' They are also unobtrusive, being clearer than the original 1880s glass.

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Energy firms 'failing to pass on falling oil prices to consumers’

The Prime Minister and Ed Mayo of Consumer First are putting public pressure on power companies to cut their gas and electricity prices in line with falling world oil prices.

A series of sharp price rises by the big energy suppliers earlier this year have left the average household facing an annual gas and electricity bill of more than £1,300.

Some companies put gas prices up by more than a third, blaming the rise on soaring world oil prices.

But oil prices have now fallen by half after it reached an all-time high of $147 a barrel earlier this year. A barrel of North Sea oil now costs $73.02.

Some big European gas suppliers’ contracts tie gas prices directly to oil. As oil prices peaked in the summer, wholesale gas prices also rose. They have now fallen by more than quarter, but household bills have not come down at all.

Mr Brown is now piling public pressure on energy firms to start cutting consumers’ bills.

”What we have seen is prices going up for fuel and energy when the oil price went up and now that the oil price has come down, the public would naturally expect retail prices for fuel and household energy to come down as well,” said a spokesman for Mr Brown.

Ed Miliband, the new Energy Secretary, last week met executives from the “Big Six” energy retailers to underline the Government’s desire for prices to fall quickly.

Ed Mayo, the chief executive of Consumer Focus, accused the industry of delaying price cuts.

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Energy saving tips for businesses

1. Look around you

If you see a load of people wearing tee-shirts you could probably afford to turn the heating down a bit. Notice a light on in a rarely used meeting room? Think about installing a sensor (or, as a short-term solution, simply switch it off). Go for a walk and you'll also spot machinery that is left on when not being used and other areas of waste. Equally importantly you'll prove your environmental creds to your colleagues if you do this regularly - and you'll need to inspire others if change is going to happen. Speaking of which …

2. Consult your colleagues

It's no good fighting a lone battle; you'll need everyone on board if savings are to be made. If you're the boss, consider appointing an 'energy champion' to find new ways of reducing energy use. They should report any waste that they notice and contribute ideas for improving the way things are done. Share the environmental love around.

3. Conduct an energy audit

Taking regular meter readings and comparing consumption over a number of months is a good idea (as long as you remember to take into account such factors as that cold snap last November). As the Carbon Trust notes, if your business manufactures something tangible try to measure energy use per product item. This will allow you to spot patterns and identify areas where savings could be made.

4. Switch things off (part 1)

Make sure that, where possible, all machines and equipment are switched off overnight. It's an obvious one, but doesn't happen often enough. A single computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day will cost a business over £50 a year. Switching it off out of hours and enabling standby features could cut this to £15 a year, according to the Carbon Trust. That's the kind of saving that will prick up any FD's ears. For shared equipment such as photocopiers and water coolers, why not fit a timer to ensure they are switched off out of hours? There are products available for larger organisations which enable network administrators to power down PCs remotely (and automatically) when they're not needed. But it's cheaper to shame people into pressing the off button. Get in early for a week, see who's left their PC on and attach a huge arrow to the ceiling above their head with the words "environmental criminal" (or similar) scrawled on it in large letters. Behaviour will swiftly change.

5. Switch things off (part 2)

Turn off any air-conditioning, extraction, compression or ventilation units whenever there's nobody in the workplace to benefit from their use. Curiosity may have killed the cat but it's laziness that's helping kill the planet.

6. See the light ...

Fit lights that sense movement and link motion-activated lights in toilet facilities to the extractor fan (if you have one). Label equipment and control switches so that it's clear how to switch something on when it's needed. Some people need a little nudge to get them heading in the right direction.

7. Turn the heating down

Unless it's too cold for comfort, try to keep your thermostat at 19C (66F). Your heating costs will go up by 8% each time you increase the temperature by just one degree. Encourage your employees to wear warmer clothing if they are feeling the cold. That may sound like a leaf from the Victorian Workhouse Manager's Textbook, but does anyone really need the air around them to be warmer than 19°C? Really?

8. Get the boss on board

If you're not the boss, ensure he or she is on board (and make friends with the FD). Securing some energy savings will inevitably require capital outlay so you may need to develop a business case to get hold of the necessary funds. This should focus on cost and financial return (eg payback period, based on energy and other cost savings), but may also include other benefits such as meeting regulations, improved environmental performance and corporate reputation, or better staff working conditions. The least you can do is investigate getting your electricity from a renewable source. And don't forget that you may qualify for an interest-free loan from the Carbon Trust http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy/takingaction/loans.htm.

9. Explore tax incentives

You could claim tax incentives if you're prepared to invest in energy saving technologies and products. The Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme (ECA) enables you to claim 100% first year capital allowances on investments of qualifying equipment. You could write off the whole cost of your investment against your taxable profits for the period in which you make an investment. Now we really are talking the FD's language.

10. Be realistic

Energy-saving measures that are difficult, inconvenient or impractical to implement are likely to be ignored or withdrawn. This will undermine any future attempts to reduce energy use. So don't be too ambitious. Suggesting your business installs solar panels on the roof tomorrow may meet with some resistance; asking people to equipment off when they go home this evening will not.

There are loads of things you can do to reduce your organisation's energy consumption. The Carbon Trust website provided some of the tips above and contains many more. The government's Business Link service also has some good advice.

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