All posts tagged UK

Are Social Energy Tariffs As Fair As People Think

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When social tariffs were first proposed, they were not seen as being fair to everyone. The idea was to combat excess winter deaths by helping UK residents that were at risk of fuel poverty to pay their bills with a discounted rate. However, that discount would be heaped on the backs of wealthier customers who would then make up the difference. The effect was to be temporary as the Green Deal would then help more and more UK residents to adopt green technologies that would reduce the overall energy demands of the country via grants and other types of financial assistance. Now that the social energy tariffs are being replaced by the Warm Home Discount, the same question arises with respect to the most vulnerable groups in the UK. Is it fair to get rid of social tariffs that the broader group needs to keep heating their homes?

Low Income Group Has Green Options

The UKs energy strategy continues to evolve as it seeks to reduce its dependence on outside energy sources while maintaining social protections in place for its more vulnerable citizens. The social tariffs were never meant to be a permanent fixture, as the policy outline in 2009 indicated that the effect would be temporary based on the implementation of the Green Deal technologies. For that reason, numerous schemes were put in place to help low-income citizens improve the draughty homes so typical of Britain using insulation, window-glazing, and other services. Many of these services were provided for free to qualifying low-income households. Also, those who could afford to implement these technologies and pay for them were also helped to find ways to achieve these goals. None of these energy schemes are expected to last forever, however, and even the Warm Home Discount is to expire in March 2015.

Keep An Eye On Excess Winter Deaths

There is data to indicate that the social energy tariffs, along with other grants and energy improvement schemes, have helped to reduce the excess winter death rate in the UK. While there were 24,000 excess winter deaths for the winter of 2011/2012 in England and Wales, that figure represents an 8 per cent drop from the previous winter. The social tariffs are being slowly phased out, with many of them being replaced by the Warm Home Discount for the 2013/2014 winter seasons. Even though no one can tell how much warmer home are in the UK, if the schemes have done their job and the Warm Home Discount is doing a fair job of it, then this number should continue to decrease. If it goes up, it will be a huge indicator that more changes need to be made to the UK energy strategy, not just to make it fair, to avoid killing more residents.

Fair Deals Change With Government

A question of fairness is always going to be an issue with social reforms. However, political parties tend to see fairness in their own terms. This does lead to changes in how schemes are planned and implemented, or whether they are eliminated altogether. Some would suggest that the Winter Fuel Payment changes are unfair to expatriates who live in countries deemed “warmer than the UK” even though the winters may be equally harsh. These UK residents will no longer be eligible and may suffer undue hardship. However, with the change of government, comes a change in the ideals of fairness. The new government believes that it is not fair to continue to pay for heat subsidies that are going to people who arent even in as drastic a need of them as others. As policies change, so do social tariffs, with the eye towards creating reforms that hit realistic targets and that do good in the community of people it is meant to serve. None are meant to be permanent, nor are they meant to require no further changes once they are implemented. As the UK faces the harsh winter ahead, social tariffs may be a thing of the past, but the ideal to create a fair society where even the most vulnerable have a chance at being able to pay their bills has not. It is merely changing and adapting towards newer social reforms that meet the needs of the population as a whole.

Domestic Energy Assessors Help Homeowners Show the Energy Efficiency of Their Homes When Selling

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There is a new breed of professionals who you will get to know about now when you start out to sell your home. They are called Domestic Energy Assessors and are out now in England and Wales performing a brand new service.

The role of the Domestic Energy Assessor is to produce Energy Performance Certificates for inclusion in Home Information Packs. If this is complete news to you then just think of these as being certificates, like those you see on new fridges, which will provide A-G ratings on the energy efficiency of a home, plus advice on how to make further energy savings.

Energy Assessors will use their in-depth knowledge and practical understanding of the thermal performance of your home to judge on the thermal energy efficiency of properties.

This requirement has been introduced by the UK government working on the theory that these assessments of the the capability of all buildings about to be sold will encourage us all to be energy efficient. This will be good for the nation as it will be thoroughly green. It will the idea is, help avoid the need for the energy whether renewable or not.

This type of certificate is required whenever the building is constructed, sold or rented.

In the short term home owners directly, and home buyers indirectly, will need to pay for these Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and in order to possibly carry out work to improve poorly insulated properties, they will need to pay for general advice to clients on energy efficiency measures.

This is all very good in principle, but the UK government has chosen exactly the wrong time to do this. The credit crunch is hitting the house sales market hard, it is already very difficult to sell properties, and the value of most of them is falling.

The staff that produce Energy Performance Certificates are very experienced in construction technology, building condition surveying and domestic energy assessment and are Degree qualified professionals. They do not come cheap!

Now we do accept that most assessors will not simply stop at inspecting your property, they should also take the time to explain exactly what they are inspecting, how they are going to go about it and gladly answer any questions that you may have. But, most sellers are going to deeply object to being forced by the state to take on this additional burden of cost.

The energy assessor takes measurements to analyse the cost of heating, water and lighting for a house and makes recommendations to improve the energy performance of the house. To me it looks like you the government may think that an assessment is a quick hour in the property and thats it. I doubt they have fully considered the travel time to and from the houses to be assessed, time taken to assess, time to prepare and check the report, input the data, produce the certificate and then charge a fee which includes the professionals insurance, accountant fees, advertising and many other costs – the list goes on and on, after all they will have to make a living like everyone else.

How To Improve the Energy Efficiency of Baxi Boilers

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With energy prices seeming to be constantly on the rise, homeowners are always on the lookout for ways of saving money through lower energy bills. Fortunately, one of the best ways of cutting energy is by taking steps to make a Baxi boiler more energy efficient. While Baxi already produces some of the most energy efficient boilers on the market, homeowners can always take further steps to help improve the environment and save them money on their next energy bill. Energy saving tips can range from the simple, like fitting pipes with insulation, to the extreme, like getting a brand new boiler installed. This article will look at just a few of the measures homeowners can take to make their boiler systems more energy efficient and thus cut their energy bills at the end of the month.

Use Room Thermostats

Installing a room thermostat is a great way of being able to control the temperature in individual rooms. Having better control over a homes temperature will go a long way in cutting down on wasted energy. Room thermostats can save consumers about 70 a year and they will go a long way towards protecting the environment. Once the room thermostats are installed, homeowners should turn down the temperature until it is warm enough to still be comfortable. Turning down the temperature just one degree can make a world of difference, and could save families 65 a year.

Hot Water Cylinder

Similarly, most UK families keep the temperature of their hot water cylinders up too high, which is not only wasting energy, but costing consumers more in higher energy bills. The ideal temperature for a hot water cylinder is 60 degrees Celsius, which is more than hot enough to still be comfortable for most homeowners. Water that is kept any hotter than this is not only wasteful, but it runs the risk of scalding human skin it comes into contact with. To make the hot water cylinder even more efficient, the main tank should have a tank jacket wrapped around it. Additionally, any pipes around the tank that are exposed should be insulated. Insulation will not only improve energy efficiency, it will also help the system last longer and perform better. The total cost for the tank jacket and insulation should cost no more than 30, while it could save families 60 a year in lower energy bills.

New Boiler

While all of the above recommendations are good and cheap to follow, by far the best thing people can do in order to cut their energy bills and improve their homes efficiency is to invest in a new energy efficient boiler. It is usually fairly easy to determine if a boiler is in need of replacing. Older boilers usually have a pilot light which burns continuously. The pilot light itself is not only wasteful, but these older boilers also have much lower efficiency ratings overall. Newer boilers have pilot lights which light automatically whenever the boiler is put into use, meaning that less gas is wasted when it is not actually being used by the homes occupants. In fact, the newer energy efficient models have an efficiency rating of up to 90 per cent. From a consumer standpoint, this increased efficiency could translate into an annual savings of over 300, not to mention a household that is much gentler on the environment. Of course, the main disadvantage of getting a new boiler installed is that they are very expensive, often running into the thousands of pounds. However, compared to the savings possible, a new boiler may be worth the investment. Furthermore, grants and trusts have been set up that can help the most disadvantaged improve their homes energy efficiency thus saving them money.

Many consumers are seeking to improve their households energy efficiency for a variety of reasons, ranging from wanting to save money on energy bills to trying to do some good for the planet. One of the best ways of cutting down on carbon emissions is by improving a houses current Baxi boiler system. By taking the measures listed above, whether that means buying a new energy efficient boiler or simply reducing a homes temperature by just one degree, homeowners will be doing their part to make the planet a little greener and their utility bills a little lighter.

Choosing the Best Energy Suppliers

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The energy suppliers have become a basic requirement to complete our daily tasks, whether for cooking or cleaning. And the dependence on these utilities has increased the demand for electricity and gas supplies. Comparatively, the boost in demand has influenced the number of energy providers. There are many gas and energy suppliers in the UK. There is cut throat competition between suppliers and each of them tries to reach the next level.

Several plans and profit rates are offered by these energy suppliers to attract more and more users. Despite the fierce competition suppliers have benefited greatly and people at the same time. In a physical market it’s really difficult to analyze the services of these energy suppliers. And it is even more difficult to compare plans, rates and prices. It requires a great deal of effort, time and money and even after this it’s hard to decide whether the selection is correct or not.

The solution to this problem is provided by the virtual world. The presence of gas and electricity providers online has provided a convenient platform for people. There are so many websites dedicated providing full details on energy suppliers. Here users can view all the details of any provider.

The acquisition of these services and changing to a new one is not an easy task in the physical marketplace. A person is supposed to fulfil various appointments to discuss the details of the different energy suppliers. And the comparison of two suppliers in price and service is almost impossible. But on the Internet, many online comparison portals facilitate the user to select the best provider and most affordable one.

Here a person has to complete a single offer to acquire the services of a particular vendor. In addition when switching to a new energy suppliers it is also easier, because there is no paper work. There is another way to choose the cheapest energy provider. Along with these online portals comparisons you can analyze effectively. People can rely on these companies due to its practical analysis.

Price to hire these energy suppliers is a major problem for everyone and people try to avoid the changes in the market. A solution to this problem is presented in the form of price caps. Capped tariff means a specified price during a specified period of time and this will not be influenced by the change in market price. But as a major drawback it requires a contract with terms and conditions.

All information and details of the energy suppliers is provided on the Internet and online comparison portals have simplified the method of selection of suppliers of cheap energy. These websites will definitely help in finding energy suppliers by saving a lot of effort, time and money.

The authorized websites of the suppliers are very active in this view. You can visit these sites to obtain information about the current prices of gas and electricity.

On the other hand, there are several websites that allow members to see the prices of different energy suppliers in one place. You also get the facility to compare prices and services of these providers and can choose the most appropriate to meet their needs.

For information about energy suppliers must enter their postal code area as well as details about your current provider. After this you will get a complete list of energy suppliers with their prices, available in your area.

Gas and Electricity Suppliers Predict Energy Price Rises

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RWE npower, one of the main gas and electricity suppliers in the UK, recently predicted a rise in energy bills of up to 20 percent by the year 2020. This is concerning most energy suppliers, as consumers tend to think that the majority of profits from their energy bills are going into the company’s pockets. In fact, companies typically control about 16 percent of your energy bill, so they don’t have a lot of say in how high your bills rise.

The main reason RWE claims energy bills will be increasing to an average of 1,487 per year by 2020 is because of government subsidies and taxes that promote clean energy and renewable power. Obviously, RWE has a stake in the matter, but even when gas is phased out as an energy source, our current electricity suppliers will likely own the main power stations that produce whatever types of renewable energy power the grid at that time. Any company in this position would want to look to the future, and it’s smart that you take the same steps as a consumer.

“Why” Is Not The Most Important Question

Gas companies, politicians, government agencies, and environmental groups almost universally agree that the price of a power bill is going to be increasing over the next five to ten years. Clearly, that is not the issue at stake for each of these groups and their own interest in the price rises they’re interested in promoting the solutions they feel best to our energy dilemma. Yet for the consumer, the ultimate goal is likely the lowest possible power bill, so for you, the reasons for the increase are much less important than ways to counter it and bring down your bill.

Can Prices Decrease In The Long Term?

The goal of many clean energy initiatives is to help prices decrease, or at least remain stable, over the long term relative to the price of gas. Since worldwide gas prices are rising, a fact that nobody can dispute and the government attributes the forecasted price rises to, power bills would be very expensive if we continued to rely on the current power mix. As such, it’s almost inevitable that price rises in the short term would be necessary to pay for the switch to clean energy, but hopefully, they will decrease again in the long run as energy costs less to generate and can be found for free through solar and wind power, for instance.

Keeping Your Power Bills Down Will Help

To help pay for your power bill in the short term, keeping your consumption of power down is a good strategy. There are lots of energy-saving strategies you can use to decrease your reliance upon the energy grid, including everything from switching lightbulbs to repainting your roof. You can take advantage of Green Deal assessments that provide customised suggestions based on your household. Some programmes exist to help you pay for an energy-efficient boiler, give you discounts on your heating bills if you are at risk of fuel poverty, and so on.

Individual Sustainable Energy Might Be The Way Of The Future