Solar Power & Energy Efficiency News

UK Families facing further £415 fuel bill increases

UK families face another crippling rise in energy prices with bills set to soar by 46 per cent – £415 a household.

The latest price rises are forecast following a report on profits from British Gas’s parent company, Centrica.

The latest increase is likely within weeks and will take the average UK domestic gas and electricity bill to £1,327 after a 15 per cent hike in January and UK households already reeling from higher food, mortgage and motoring bills coupled with an ever-increasing tax burden.

Investigate how Save Energy UK's best value cheap electricity and gas can help slash Your Home's utility bills or investigate more environmentally-friendly renewable energy options such as Solar PV and Solar Thermal Domestic Water Heating systems.

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Helping Firms Slash their Fuel Bills - Supported by Business Link

With fuel costs soaring, businesses and homeowners are desperate to cut their energy bills, which is why many have welcomed guidance from Dorset firm Save Energy (UK) Limited.

Director Paul Randall, who runs the firm with his brother Steve, explained: "We help firms significantly reduce their energy costs in two ways. Firstly we offer an energy brokerage service to ensure that they aren't wasting money on energy bills. Then we help them invest the money they save in energy efficiency measures - achieving further major reductions in their bills."

Fast-growing Save Energy needed some basic business advice and was able to benefit from one-to-one support from a Business Link adviser. Paul, who is based at the company's Poole Road store in Branksome, believes 80 per cent of firms pay "significantly over the odds" for their energy because they do not consider the savings that might be achieved.

The company's team of experts then promote key energy-saving opportunities. "We encourage customers to look at installing low-energy lighting, heating controls, proper insulation and efficient boilers. In some cases solar panels are another opportunity," Paul added.

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Investigate how Save Energy UK's best value cheap electricity and gas can help slash Your firm's fuel bills or investigate more environmentally-friendly renewable energy options such as Solar PV and Solar Thermal Domestic Water Heating systems.

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UK Homes face £200 Increase in HouseHold Bills

     A recent report from economics forecasting company, Capital Economics, has predicted that average bills for water, electricity, gas and council tax will climb by a massive £193 (or 8.3%) during 2008.

Already reeling from recent price rises in domestic energy bills, UK householders will have to cope with these increases on top of projected rises in both food & petrol prices, a weaker housing market and diminishing equity.

Within the last few months, two of Britain's largest energy providers - British Gas & nPower - have both announced significant tariff increases which effectively pave the way for more to come across the market in 2008 and beyond.

Paul Randall, Director of leading UK Solar Energy & Energy Efficiency company Save Energy UK, said: "With many customers unable to keep their annual bills below £1,000, more and more homeowners are doing their research to find more competitive deals with alternative providers or more efficient fuels and technologies. We have been receiving increasing interest in both our domestic and commercial capped tariffs, whilst enquiries for Solar Energy and other Renewables have also risen exponentially as the public looks for greener, cleaner and cheaper options."

Click here to read about Save Energy UK's best value cheap electricity and gas deals or to investigate more environmentally-friendly renewable energy options such as Solar PV and Solar Thermal Domestic Water Heating systems.

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     Npower is to increase both its gas and electricity prices, the UK’s fourth largest energy supplier has confirmed. The company, which has four million customers, said it would provide exact details imminently. Its move comes on the back of high global energy prices, with crude oil recently hitting a record $100 a barrel in New York. Analysts predict that other UK energy providers are now likely to announce price rises.

Npower, a subsidiary of German company RWE, has already increased its online tariff for new customers, raising that by 17% towards the end of 2007.

Analysts say wholesale gas prices have risen on the back of the record cost of crude, as any increase in the price of oil has a knock on effect on gas. Wholesale gas prices in the UK are also said to have been driven higher by the growing number of energy firms on the continent turning to the more liberalised UK market for cheaper supplies. UK household energy bills last rose strongly in 2006, with most suppliers increasing their bills on the back of higher wholesale prices. However, prices then subsequently fell back during 2007.

Click here to read about Save Energy UK's cheap electricity and gas offers and the UK's best value commercial gas and electric utility bills.

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     Mobile phone operator T-Mobile has installed “smart meters” in 6,000 network sites in a bid to improve energy efficiency and cut electricity bills, the company said.

T-Mobile said it was the first company in the UK to roll out the devices, which are being backed by the Government, on such a large scale. The company said the meters, which can track the amount of electricity used by different equipment, could improve efficiency and save 7% on electricity bills a year by allowing it to transfer to the most appropriate energy tariff.

Jim Hyde, chief executive of T-Mobile UK, said: “The smart meters don’t directly reduce the amount of electricity we use, but they do allow us to understand how it is being used and make better decisions. “For example, we can now see which equipment is the most energy efficient, and ensure that we buy more intelligently next time around. “Our audit trail is very visible, so we really do know our true energy consumption.”

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said: “Smart meter technology enables us to cut our energy use and reduce the impact of climate change. “That is why we are committed to rolling them out to all homes and businesses over the next decade. By installing smart meters across its sites in the UK, T-Mobile is leading the way in this metering revolution.”

Click here to investigate Save Energy UK's range of cost-saving Energy Efficient Products...

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     British households suffered a fresh blow to their strained finances yesterday as British Gas said that it was lifting the price of a key energy tariff by up to 15 per cent, prompting fears of a wider increase in gas and electricity bills in the new year.

Britain’s largest energy supplier said that it was putting prices up on its Market Tracker price plan, which follows prices in the wholesale energy market, by 13 per cent for gas and 15 per cent for electricity, with immediate effect.

The majority of the ten million gas and six million electricity customers of Centrica, the British Gas owner, who are on standard or online tariffs will not be affected, but industry experts say that the news is a harbinger of price rises to come in 2008.

Mark Todd, a director at energy-helpline.com, described it was “an ominous warning sign”. Tim Wolfenden, the head of home services at uSwitch,com, said: “The fact that prices are higher now for this product suggests other suppliers won’t be able to hold back from further rises next year.”

The announcement was made on the eve of a pivotal meeting of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and comes as a fresh blow to consumers already struggling with rising prices for food and petrol, as well as deteriorating conditions in the credit and housing markets.

British Gas’s Market Tracker product was launched in April and gives households the option of linking the prices that they pay for gas and electricity closely to the rises and falls in the wholesale market.

Another provider, nPower, which operates a similar tracker tariff, hinted yesterday hinted that price rises could be on the way for its customers. “We are constantly reviewing our prices and will look at them again in the new year,” a spokesman said.

The decision by British Gas to raise the price of its tracker tariffs comes a month after the group reduced prices on some other tariffs.

Click here to read about Save Energy UK's cheap electricity and gas offers and the UK's best value commercial gas and electric utility bills.

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     The Bournemouth Hotel & Catering Show has long been an important date on the Tourism industry's calendar, but this year's event will showcase a dedicated business zone highlighting environmental issues, climate change and how the industry can reduce both overheads and emissions with some simple practical solutions.

Held on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th March 2008 at the Bournemouth International Centre, the event will host the first Green Business Tourism Area - dubbed "The Green Room" - which will offer local businesses the opportunity of investigating how to save both money and energy, with Poole-based energy consultancy firm Save Energy UK providing a wealth of advice and experience whilst showcasing some ground-breaking energy efficient and renewable energy technologies.

As part of their offering, Save Energy UK have a range of units suitable for commercial kitchens that efficiently collect energy from the air to heat water. These air to water heat pumps convert the air from the kitchen extract system to pre-heat the hot water system. The firm plans to unveil a new innovative heat pump system at the 2008 Show.

Steve Randall of Save Energy UK says: "The biggest areas of energy saving potential are heating, lighting and, in larger businesses, air conditioning. So if businesses are wondering what they can do to make their establishments that little bit greener, they should consider visiting the Green Business Tourism Area at next year's Show. We continually look for ways to increase our product portfolio which offer businesses of any size energy saving solutions and we’re looking forward to unveiling a new product at the Show."

One of the region's leading energy consultants, Save Energy UK offer Free Energy Surveys to businesses throughout Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, providing a range of services from energy efficiency improvement to renewable and solar power installations.

Click here to view their current portfolio of solar energy equipment and energy efficient lighting products.

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     Plans to phase out traditional lightbulbs in favour of Energy Efficient lightbulbs by 2011 have been announced by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

Speaking at the Labour Conference in Bournemouth, Mr Benn revealed that the plan had the full backing of most major UK retailers and energy suppliers and would significantly aid the reduction of the country's CO2 emissions, saving an estimated 5 million tonnes of CO2 each year.

Starting with the end of sales of 150-watt bulbs from January 2008, less powerful traditional lightbulbs will be removed from shelves in stages: 100-watt bulbs in 2009, 40-watt bulbs in 2010 - eventually ending the sale of all high-energy lightbulbs by 2011.

Click here to view Save Energy UK's current portfolio of energy efficient lightbulbs & lighting products.

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     The Government has initiated a grants scheme to encourage homeowners that remain without loft and / or cavity wall insulation to get it installed and start saving money, energy and reduce needless CO2 emissions.

Under the scheme, qualifying householders could pay as little as £150 for cavity wall insulation for a typical 3 bedroom house.

Click here to contact Save Energy UK for the latest Government Grants and Energy Efficient Technologies.

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     Once again, angling supremo and director of Save Energy UK, Paul Randall outfishes brother and co-director Steve.

Steve is now attending lessons to improve his fishing knowledge & abilities and hopes to one day catch something he can actually eat... probably sometime in 2011. He declined to comment.

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     A recent report has found that the average 3 and 4 bedroom home is wasting hundreds of pounds a year on their heating and lighting utility bills.

Following the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Home Information Packs (HIPs), a survey of energy assessors reveals that most homes are currently receiving an 'E' rating on a scale of A-G. However, the report advises that many of these could easily rise to a more respectable 'C' rating and save hundreds of pounds a year if homeowners implement some simple measures recommended in the certificates, such as loft and cavity wall insulation

The most common recommendations given by assessors for improving energy efficiency have been:
- Cavity wall insulation,
- Changing to low energy lighting,
- Fitting thermostatic valves on radiators
- Laying loft insulation
- Fitting Double glazing

The survey states that if the above steps are acted on, the average 4 bedroom home could typically save £180 on heating, £60 on lighting and £30 on hot water bills each year.

'Green Grants' of between £100 - £300 for energy saving improvements are available to many home owners from energy suppliers as part of their legal obligations introduced by government to improve the nation's energy efficiency.

Save Energy UK offers a Free Energy Assessment Survey to all its clients, providing advice and guidance on any available Government grants and providing a detailed report of how you can save energy and money while helping you to reduce your home's carbon emissions.

Want the Cheapest Gas & Electricity..? Click here for the UK's Best Value Utility Bills..!

...Or contact Save Energy UK for the latest Government Grants and Energy Efficient Technologies.

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