Councils accuse power giants of 'free energy-saving lightbulbs dodge'

Power firms have been accused of handing out energy-saving lightbulbs to dodge their obligation to help families cut carbon emissions.

Local councils say the free distribution is part of an 'outrageous' attempt by the businesses to shirk their responsibility to install more meaningful energy saving measures in homes.

They claim the businesses are effectively paying lip service to energy reduction targets by taking the cheap option of dishing out millions of the bulbs.The Local Government Association says, instead, the industry should be funding a programme of mass home insulation, double-glazing and the installation of efficient boilers. Under the Government's

Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, suppliers are set objectives to cut home carbon emissions.

However, the LGA says these targets are too low. Consequently, firms are able to meet their commitment mainly by sending homeowners energy saving light bulbs, which save just £3 of power a year each.

The LGA wants the Government to toughen targets so energy firms have to insulate more lofts and walls.

It says this could help 1.4million households save £220 of power a year each.

Suppliers are expected to give out an astonishing 280million lightbulbs - 11 for every household - by 2011.

Whereas these bulbs will largely be manufactured abroad, the LGA says insulating more homes would help create 4,000 UK jobs, which would be ideal for those in the struggling construction industry.
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'Anaconda' harnesses wave power

A new wave energy device known as "Anaconda" is the latest idea to harness the power of the seas.

Its inventors claim the key to its success lies in its simplicity: Anaconda is little more than a length of rubber tubing filled with water.

Waves in the water create bulges along the tubing that travel along its length gathering energy.

At the end of the tube, the surge of energy drives a turbine and generates electricity.



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Flying car reaches sky in Holland

What seemed to be yet another fantasy flying vehicle may have moved closer to reality this week when a test version of the three-wheeler PAL-V One took off publicly in Holland.
Accelerating just some 500 feet along the A1 highway near the city of Amersfoort, the three-wheeler took off easily in front of the Dutch Minister of Traffic Safety and Water Affairs, Camiel Eurlings, and a massive group of curious journalists.
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smart meters on the way

After months of dithering, the Government is poised to give the go-ahead for the installation of smart meters in every home and business - 45m in total.From next year and during the following ten years, energy companies will replace existing gas and electricity meters with smart meters that can tell homeowners how much energy they are using at any time.

The £7bn smart meter revolution is a vital weapon in the Government's battle to cut energy consumption. Trials have shown that householders reduce their consumption by about 10% - an average of £10 a month - where smart meters are installed.

This is because they can see how much energy is wasted, for example by leaving lights on or keeping TVs on stand-by.

Smart meters will also finally put an end to the scandal of incorrect billing. No longer will energy suppliers be able to force customers to pay huge bills based on incorrect energy estimates.

The Government will also announce a multi-billion pound contract to create a centralised communication system to gather the data from the smart meters and distribute it to each home's energy supplier.

Energy Minister Mike O'Brien said: 'Smart meters will help consumers save energy and money and cut emissions. We've said we want smart meters in every home in the UK by the end of 2020.

'We will be the first country in the world to have such a huge refurbishment of our energy meters and we need to get it right. That includes making sure we have meters that can do all the things we want them to.'

It will be the responsibility of the energy companies to offer householders a choice of meter. They vary in sophistication, with some capable of pinpointing parts of the house where energy is being used.

It is understood that the Government has insisted that every meter should be capable of handling micro-generation data so that households which generate their own energy via solar panels or wind turbines will be able to sell the surplus back to the National Grid.

Smart meters will also enable suppliers to moderate peak demand through differential pricing throughout the day.
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