Ministers have provided more detail on forthcoming incentives to encourage the uptake of electric cars.
The plans, first outlined last April, will allow people who buy a qualifying ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) to receive a grant worth 25% of the vehicle's value, up to a maximum of £5,000.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has now said that the 'Plug-in Car Grant' will operate in a similar manner to the scrappage scheme, with motorists paying the discounted price and the manufacturer being responsible for claiming the subsidy back.
But while the scrappage incentive was made up of equal contributions from the Government and car manufacturers, the new grant is set to be wholly provided from the public purse in an attempt to encourage "pioneering motorists" to take up new technology.
However, it will not be available until January 2011, at which point ministers expect a wider range of eligible vehicles to be available. In its previous announcement, the Government made clear that only electric, or plug-in electric hybrids would qualify, seemingly precluding currently popular models such as Toyota's Prius.
full article
Saturday 27 February 2010
Energy giants accused of cashing in on boiler scrappage scheme
Some energy companies are ripping off householders using the Government’s boiler scrappage scheme by quoting inflated prices for a new boiler, according to industry experts.
The warning comes as a leading heating engineer says that paying £2,000 to replace a working boiler is “financial madness” and that the scrappage scheme has serious flaws.
The boiler scrappage scheme, launched last month, gives households £400 to replace old boilers with a new, energy-efficient model. British Gas, E.On, nPower and Scottish and Southern have matched the Government scheme by offering an additional £400 discount. But some householders hoping to claim £800 off the cost of a new boiler have complained that British Gas is quoting far higher figures than independent engineers.
Peter Thom, of Green Heat, the heating engineer, says: “The energy suppliers are top-loading the price and then offering an £800 discount. A customer I saw in Cambridge received a quote from British Gas of £5,012 for a boiler replacement, which reduced to £4,212 with the £800 discount. Our quotation for exactly the same work and identical boiler was £2,894.”
full article
The warning comes as a leading heating engineer says that paying £2,000 to replace a working boiler is “financial madness” and that the scrappage scheme has serious flaws.
The boiler scrappage scheme, launched last month, gives households £400 to replace old boilers with a new, energy-efficient model. British Gas, E.On, nPower and Scottish and Southern have matched the Government scheme by offering an additional £400 discount. But some householders hoping to claim £800 off the cost of a new boiler have complained that British Gas is quoting far higher figures than independent engineers.
Peter Thom, of Green Heat, the heating engineer, says: “The energy suppliers are top-loading the price and then offering an £800 discount. A customer I saw in Cambridge received a quote from British Gas of £5,012 for a boiler replacement, which reduced to £4,212 with the £800 discount. Our quotation for exactly the same work and identical boiler was £2,894.”
full article
Boiler scrappage scheme - landlords can apply
Landlords are being reminded of the benefits of the Government’s boiler scrappage scheme, which was launched for households in England in January.
According to letting specialist, Leaders, private landlords can apply alongside homeowners.
For those with old G-rated boilers, it provides £400 towards the cost of a new energy efficient device.
Government figures put the potential saving per household at over £200 per year and the entire project, which involves removing 125,000 G-rated boilers, will save around 140,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
Leaders’ managing director, Paul Weller, comments: “Not only could this mean less in maintenance costs and hassle for our landlords, it will save our tenants a significant amount in energy costs.”
The firm says it has also negotiated additional discounts for its landlords through some of its gas contractors.
full article
According to letting specialist, Leaders, private landlords can apply alongside homeowners.
For those with old G-rated boilers, it provides £400 towards the cost of a new energy efficient device.
Government figures put the potential saving per household at over £200 per year and the entire project, which involves removing 125,000 G-rated boilers, will save around 140,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
Leaders’ managing director, Paul Weller, comments: “Not only could this mean less in maintenance costs and hassle for our landlords, it will save our tenants a significant amount in energy costs.”
The firm says it has also negotiated additional discounts for its landlords through some of its gas contractors.
full article
Monday 22 February 2010
Energy giants earn extra 40% in profits per home
Britain’s biggest energy companies earned an average 40 per cent more in profits per household over winter following a collapse in the wholesale prices they paid for gas and electricity, Ofgem, the energy regulator, said today.
Net margins earned by the companies, which include British Gas, ScottishPower, EDF Energy, RWE npower and E.ON, soared from an average of £75 per average dual fuel customer in November to £105 at the start of this month.
Ofgem pointed out that the increase in margins, to its highest level in six years, was likely to be short-lived because one big supplier, British Gas, recently cut its gas prices by 7 per cent in a move that is expected to open the floodgates to further price cuts from its rivals.
Nevertheless, the report is likely to prompt fresh calls for a competition committee inquiry as Centrica, the owner of British Gas, prepares to announce 2009 profits of about £550 million on Thursday.
full article
Net margins earned by the companies, which include British Gas, ScottishPower, EDF Energy, RWE npower and E.ON, soared from an average of £75 per average dual fuel customer in November to £105 at the start of this month.
Ofgem pointed out that the increase in margins, to its highest level in six years, was likely to be short-lived because one big supplier, British Gas, recently cut its gas prices by 7 per cent in a move that is expected to open the floodgates to further price cuts from its rivals.
Nevertheless, the report is likely to prompt fresh calls for a competition committee inquiry as Centrica, the owner of British Gas, prepares to announce 2009 profits of about £550 million on Thursday.
full article
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