September 2, 2011

Smart Meters Will Mean – Smart Consumers!

Filed under: Energy Efficiency — Tags: , — Newsroom @ 10:25 am

With the new information regarding British Gas and the touch-screen energy display which they will be starting to install into UK homes within the next few weeks, this may actually benefit those small business owners who have been reluctant to consider change within their companies.  Small businesses can adopt the same system and once they see the savings being made at home, may be encouraged to adapt their business practices.  Although it will be several years before the whole of the UK receives the touch-screen displays and smart meters many small business users will find that they know someone who already has it within their business or in their home.

British Gas will also be introducing their next generation of smart meters into UK homes at the same time. Presently there are already 400,000 homes and businesses with a smart meter installed and when combined with the new touch-screen energy display it can assist the user to reduce energy costs.

The way the system works is that every household or business will be able see the amount of energy being used at any time. The touch-screen display works via a traffic light colour change which depends on the energy usage.  So when the display shows red, the user will be aware that they are consuming a high amount of energy.  They will also be able to compare their electricity and gas usage on an ongoing basis, and know how much of each is being used at a specific time.

The display will provide huge amounts of information in minute detail which will allow the customer the opportunity of controlling their own energy charges.  Estimated bills for both gas and electricity will be a thing of the past as customers will only pay for the energy consumed.  The smart meters and displays will encourage consumers to think about the energy they use and they will then be able to make an informed choice as to whether to use more energy at that time.  To give an example, many people choose to use their washing machine every day or two, even when it only contains a few items.  By seeing how much electricity is used when the washing machine is operating, the customer may decide that in future they will only use the washing machine when it is half full.  Obviously, to over fill any washing machine isn’t a good idea, as it uses additional energy to cope with the extra weight of clothes or bedding being washed.  Within a short period of time, consumers will recognise where they can make savings and will adjust their usage accordingly.

This new technology will be in every home by 2019.  The actual savings expected are in the region of 10 percent across both gas and electricity and equate to savings of approximately £105 per year.  Those customers who have solar panels will also have the great benefit of being able to see the amount of energy they are generating – obviously, this will assist in knowing the amount of money being earned from the panels.

August 29, 2011

If They’ve Got It Wrong …Complain, Loudly!

Filed under: Energy News — Tags: , , , — Newsroom @ 10:05 am

With the news that the major energy providers have decided to increase their price to all customers in the near future, perhaps the question should be asked as to why these increases couldn’t have been revoked or at least capped.  Now that they have been announced and as the regulators are involved and studying these rises, perhaps they can confirm that if they are deemed excessive, that there will be a repayment, or at the very least, credit given against these latest round of price hikes.

During the past few months Ofgem has started fining energy companies when they feel the rules have been broken – or severely compromised.  British Gas were fined £1m in June 2011 for misreporting the quantity of electricity supplied and in July 2011 Ofgem fined British Gas yet again, this time the amount  was £2.5m, for not adequately responding to customer complaints.   British Gas have recently announced their half-yearly profits of £280m and just a few days later they confirmed they would be increasing their gas prices by 18 percent and also by raising their electricity charges by 16 percent.

Last week another of the major energy providers EDF admitted that they had overcharged 100,000 customers between 2003 and 2010 because of a fault in their meter reading system.  In many of these cases the amounts of money involved was fairly insignificant; however the fact that it took seven years before the discrepancies in the metering systems were noticed is fairly worrying.

These figures are just the tip of the iceberg with it appears, new and more disturbing stories being produced on a regular basis.  Although Ofgem are finally attempting to probe into the energy providers’ affairs, let’s hope that the reports which are currently being compiled by the specialist accountants appointed by them, lead to the energy providers in knowing that they have, in the future, nowhere to hide.  Genuine mistakes can, and will continue to occur, and no-one will criticise any company for making errors, as long as they are discovered promptly, apologies made to the injured parties and reasonable compensation given when it is deemed to be appropriate.

Ofgem should be aware of all disputes from the beginning and perhaps if the energy providers know they need to tell Ofgem about every complaint immediately it may encourage them to resolve the issue with greater speed.  There could even be a series of fines if the energy providers haven’t satisfactorily resolved the result within a specific timeframe.  Obviously, the more complex the problem, the longer the company should have in order to rectify it.  All disputes should be logged in a public forum, together with the outcome.

The reporting of instances involving malpractice or negligence need to happen as a matter of course, with some urgency and there should be a recognised timetable for the resolution.

August 19, 2011

Look After Your Own Business – No-One Else Will Do It For You!

Filed under: Energy News — Tags: , , , , — Newsroom @ 9:30 am

Well it’s been a funny old week!  British Gas has decided to call off their doorstep bulldogs – they say for a temporary trial basis of three months!  On the basis that in a high proportion of cases the families who have signed up with them are probably paying more than if they’d spent a little time in trying to source cheaper gas and electricity themselves this decision  is definitely long overdue.

Wholesale gas and electricity prices have this week remained fairly sluggish.  With gas prices from npower increasing again from 1st October and Centrica showing reasonable profits it is the business and residential consumers who lose out again.  The financial markets took a huge battering yesterday adding to the downwards trend of the gas and power curve.  However, at the end of the day it rallied somewhat and the day closed with small gains.

The launch of the new Renewable Heating Incentive by the government may provide additional funding in order to help businesses to go green.  Due to commence next month it appears that the government will provide money towards the installation of solar thermal panels, heat pumps and biomass boilers.

Many comparison web sites may indeed be able to offer you a discount for your business energy bills.   However, don’t forget that they too will want to make a profit, so they won’t pass the complete discount on to you.  An additional problem with the majority of comparison sites is that they are tied in with one of the high end companies and therefore aren’t able to give truly impartial advice.  The only way to ensure that you obtain the best information is to deal with a broker who is completely independent and therefore actually working towards your best interests.

Businesses also need to be accountable for their own decisions.  Although recent surveys have shown that many small business owners are worried about the cost of energy and feel that if prices continue to rise, then their business will suffer, there are still many companies who haven’t done anything to reduce energy costs within their business.  There are so many ways to save energy by just applying a little common sense that it is incredulous they haven’t done anything to help themselves.  We all know that small business owners have plenty of other things to occupy their time however a little time devoted to saving money and energy could bring considerable benefits.

Moving forwards the way ahead will be down the green renewable energy front.  This is the only way to ensure that everyone is doing their personal best to reduce their carbon footprint.   These large energy providers need to ensure that they survive, however in the long term business owners need to reduce costs and help to look after the planet.  Help others and at the same time help yourself.

April 5, 2011

British Gas customers targeted in identity theft scam…

Filed under: Energy News — Tags: — admin @ 7:00 pm

Consumers are being warned of a scam that promises refunds of hundreds of pounds on gas bills if they send copies of documents that could be used to steal their identity.

The bogus offer of a refund comes in an email purporting to be from British Gas. One email headed “refund notification” said the recipient was due a refund of £722.80, but would need to fax copies of a passport or driving licence in order to receive it.It said: “After the last annual calculation of your gas and electricity activity, we have determined that you are eligible to receive a refund of 732.80 GBP. Please submit the refund request and allow us 5-7 days in order to process it.

“Please fax the following 2 documents in order to have us process your request … a legible, colour digital photograph or scan of both sides of your government-issued ID (eg driver’s permit or passport).”It also asked for the customer’s name and full address and gave a fax number with a Bristol dialling code. The email included a British Gas logo and gave the sender’s address as “info@britishgas.co.uk”.

The energy company advised anyone who received the email not to do as it asked.“If you have received an email like [this], please do not action the request as it is part of the recent scam,” it said. “This email has not been sent from British Gas and is part of a wider email ‘phishing’ scam being sent to both British Gas and non British Gas customers.”It added: “Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.”

Police are investigating the scam, a spokesman for British Gas added.The attempted scam is a variation on the more common type of phishing, where emails appearing to come from a bank ask recipients to click on a link to a website and enter their internet banking login details. The criminals use these details to gain access to the account and steal any money there.British Gas said anyone unsure about a refund could email customernews@britishgas.co.uk or call 0800 048 0505.  www.britishgas.co.uk/emailalert?WT.seg_3=i100451

 

Source : The telegraph.