November 9, 2011

Let’s not Speculate – Wait for Official Confirmation

Filed under: Renewable Energy — Tags: , — Newsroom @ 11:18 am

There are altogether too many contradictory pieces of information regarding the solar panel installations and FiT payments.  Different suggestions are being bandied around almost hourly.  At this point there isn’t anything which can be done and until either the government or some other official body confirms their position it isn’t helpful to anyone to continue with speculations.

The end of the consultancy period – 23rd December, and the date from which the changes in the proposed FiT payments are going to be reduced, 12th December, are the only dates mentioned at this point.   There isn’t sufficient detail of how, why and when changes will happen and in what time-frame.  At the moment it has been said that the reduced FiT payments will be applied from the beginning of the new financial year in April but will also apply retrospectively to installations from 12th December 2011.

It has been stated that this is the beginning of the end for the government’s green deal with the number of companies and people involved in the installation of the new technology having rapidly increased to around 27,000.   One of the main problems appears to have been that the FiT payments when selling excess electricity back to the national grid have been used to encourage people to progress their initial interest into a firm commitment to have the solar panels installed.  Many of these installations can’t happen before the FiT payments reduce which is expected to affect the numbers of businesses and homeowners willing to proceed.

The whole industry has galloped along, well ahead of the level which had been expected.  The number of new recruits and training offered had snowballed and eventually there was bound to be some sort of rift or breakdown.

There are now news items stating that there will be many firms of installers which will go out of business due to the revelations of the change to the FiT payments.

There were probably too many firms with one or two installers who had decided to use the opportunities which were bound to increase their business that recruited and trained new installers.  The number of unemployed people meant that one advertisement for staff brought a high number of responses and from then on the proposed expansion at the firm who were planning on taking on one person may have persuaded the company to employ additional trainee installers.

There needs to be a few weeks where nothing is said until firm commitments have been made by the government as to the way ahead.  The change toward moving to green technology will continue in one format or another – however this may have slowed it down.  Perhaps a few quiet weeks whilst everything is confirmed will give the opportunity for installers to catch their breath and consider whether they want to put all their eggs into this one particular basket.

November 7, 2011

Help Your Business to Make Own Savings

Filed under: business energy — Tags: , — Newsroom @ 1:31 pm

With lots of confusion over the FiT payments, and the proposed change for reducing the amounts paid when excess energy is sold to the national grid, it is now an opportune time to remind business consumers how they can reduce their electricity and gas bills.

It really isn’t anything amazing.  The simple fact is that when less energy is consumed, then the bill will be lower.  As we are approaching the cold winter months the more control taken over electricity and gas usage now will reap benefits when the bill is received.

There are many different ways in which your business will be able to save energy and money but for today let’s start with three suggestions.

Staff Co-operation

Depending on the size of the business, staff members can be the worst culprits when it comes to wasting electricity.  It’s not deliberate but through a lack of thought.  If they live with parents at home, or share a property with other people, they may not realise the cost of electricity and gas.

There are a couple of alternative ways to remind staff members to consider the cost.  There could be little notices in the areas where the most energy is consumed, but notes aren’t the best way to achieve the greatest result.  The best way to get assistance from staff members is to have a short meeting and explain the necessity for vigilance in their usage of energy.  See if one person will be responsible for reminding others where they can save money.   Ask that person to make sure that lights aren’t left on when a room isn’t being used.  Only heat enough water for the number of drinks being made – kettles use a huge amount of energy. Ensure that all non-essential equipment is switched off completely overnight.

Low Energy Light Bulbs

Change to low energy light bulbs and this will greatly reduce the amount of electricity being consumed.  The LED light bulb can last for up to 50,000 hours so for an office working 40 hours each week a single LED bulb may last about twenty years.  A conventional light bulb wastes much of the electricity as the bulb becomes hot.  A LED bulb doesn’t heat up therefore energy isn’t wasted.

Whenever possible in the office ensure that all blinds and curtains are open for as much time as possible.  This obviously is more likely during the summer months, but even in the bright sunlight some offices still switch the lights on which is unnecessary.

Central Heating

Try to turn down the central heating thermostat by one degree.  This can reduce heating costs by approximately eight per cent.  If the temperature is around nineteen degrees Centigrade, then this should be comfortable for staff members.  If there are a large number of radiators close to each other switch off one or two of them.  Don’t heat empty rooms.

These are ideas which can be implemented at little cost.  The sooner they can be started the more savings will be made.

November 4, 2011

Take Independent Advice – Before Proceeding

Filed under: business energy — Tags: , , , — Newsroom @ 10:41 am

All the current talk is regarding the installation of solar panels at businesses which will then be able to sell excess electricity back to the national grid.  It does appear from information received that many businesses are going down this route without taking advice from an independent energy broker who can suggest the best way forward for businesses where the staff don’t have the knowledge which is essential before making a decision which may not be the best choice for them.  An independent energy broker has the expertise and experience necessary to guide businesses forward and will manage the whole installation process.  It’s great that businesses want to proceed – energy brokers ensure that the correct decisions are made.

The major problem of this week relating to energy has been centred around the probability that the FiT payments will be reduced on all solar panel installations which haven’t been completed by 12th December.  The current price being paid to those businesses which already have photovoltaic panels is over 43p for every kWh of excess electricity which is sold back to the national grid.  The proposed new figure of 21p for each kWh is more than a fifty per cent reduction on the payments.

The huge wave of interest over the past few months for these installations has snowballed.  There have been so many orders that small companies which carried out the fitting of solar panels have needed to recruit more people, and the new staff members have required training in order to be able to do the work.

Many installers have a full order book, but with the proposed reduction in the FiT payment, the number of orders is likely to dwindle.  Most installation firms have their diaries full for months, but with there only being five weeks until 12st December, then many installations already planned will lose out on the highest payments, and some business customers may decide not to proceed with the installation.  The consultation period relating to these changes doesn’t end until 23rd December which is nearly two weeks after the cut-off date.

The government hadn’t expected such a high uptake so this is their way of slowing the number of installations down.  Unfortunately this has a knock-on effect for every company involved with solar panels.  Companies who were expecting to have their solar panels installed during the early part of 2012 probably won’t receive the higher FiT payment unless the government reconsiders their decision after the consultation period.

This decision by the government doesn’t just affect their balancing of the books – it has ripples which extend a huge way, affecting the livelihoods of many people.  Perhaps the government will reverse their thoughts, but wouldn’t it have been better if they had considered all possibilities before going ahead and making statements which affect a growing industry.  The economy is fragile enough and the alternative green technology is good news.  Don’t knock the stuffing out of this new industry.