Archive for June, 2012

Business electricity users can switch off to save money

29 June 2012

Business electricity users could learn lessons from a new report that shows UK householders are wasting up to £1.3 billion a year by leaving electrical devices on stand-by or left on when not in use, according to the Energy Advice Line.

The study, Powering the Nation, investigated real-time energy use by householders who had advanced smart meters installed to measure the amount of energy used by every electrical device in the home.

The results showed that householders were reluctant to turn off appliances when not in use and relied on standby settings, which added significant sums to energy bills over the course of a year.

The study, conducted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DEFRA) and the Energy Saving Trust, coincided with the release of a report by major electronics firms which found that tougher energy standards for electrical equipment could save business electricity users and householders €90 billion a year.

Managing director of the Energy Advice Line, Julian Morgan, said both reports demonstrated the value to businesses of making energy consumption one of their highest priorities.

“For many small and medium-sized firms, energy is now one of their most significant overheads,” Mr Morgan said. “Unfortunately, many don’t give it the priority it deserves because they think there is little they can do to mitigate against rising energy costs. The fact is there is a great deal they can do.

“It makes sense for firms to undertake a top to bottom analysis of their business electricity use. Consider every appliance and whether it needs to be kept on standby or even plugged in.

“According to the Powering the Nation report, householders can save £85 each on their electricity bills each year by turning off televisions, computers and other electronics. Business electricity users should think about what they could save by doing the same.”

Mr Morgan said that it was also essential for businesses to examine their energy contracts and to stay in control of their energy spend, rather than leaving it in the hands of energy suppliers.

“The only way for firms to keep their business electricity costs down is to ensure they know when their fixed-term energy contracts expire, to give timely notice to their supplier that they are switching, and search the market for a better deal,” Mr Morgan said.

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, News
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Businesses offered cash to reduce energy use under government reforms

25 June 2012

Business electricity users that reduce their consumption at peak times could receive a cash bonus under reforms set out in the government’s draft energy bill.

Under the plans, auctions will be held from 2014 to allow electricity generators to bid to supply back-up electricity at times of increased demand. Only generators that pay companies to curb their energy use at peak times will be allowed to participate in the scheme.

The government hopes that as well as being environmentally friendly, this ‘demand response’ approach will help to ensure that there are sufficient energy supplies to go around.

Energy analysts have welcomed the proposal, arguing that it will be a cheaper way of matching energy supply to demand than simply building new power plants.

But some argue that business electricity users will have to change their mindset about the energy their organizations use if they are to benefit from such a scheme.

Ronan O’Regan, director of PwC’s renewables and low carbon group said many businesses would have to rethink their approach to energy efficiency.

“It’s partly about engagement and convincing large energy users to think about [energy] demand as a source of revenue,” Mr O’Regan told online magazine Business Green.

“Their mentality is that energy is a cost to be kept down and the core business is producing widgets.

“It’s up to energy users to participate, but at least they have the option. And what should happen is that as energy prices continue to rise, it does start to focus [companies'] attention on how to better manage energy.”

Julian Morgan, managing director of the UK’s leading price comparison and switching service for business electricity users, agreed that firms needed to rethink their approach to using and paying for energy.

“Business electricity users do need to change their mindset; energy can be one of the most significant financial overheads that an organization has to deal with.

“Of course they need to think about using energy in the most cost-effective way possible. But more fundamentally, they need to ensure they are paying the most competitive tariff available.

“Monitoring energy use and reducing waste is meaningless if an organization is paying more than they need to for their business electricity in the first place.”

The UK draft energy bill, unveiled last week, also included plans to raise £110 million in investment to replace current generating capacity and upgrade the grid by 2020.

The Energy Advice Line helps small firms through to large non-domestic energy consumers to search the market for the best available business electricity and business gas deals.

The service saves firms the time and trouble of trawling through thousands of business electricity and gas tariffs by analyzing prices from its panel of energy suppliers and matching them with the requirements of the organization.

Significantly, tariffs are compared on a like-for-like basis without the use of product names or payment plans, which means that quotes are easy to understand and accurate.

The Energy Advice Line’s expert team can also offer advice on how to switch suppliers, as well as a renewal reminder service to ensure you do not get caught in an expensive business energy rollover contract.

For more information visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Gas, News, business electric
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Business Electricity customer is being cold called over 20 times a day after just moving in

22 June 2012

A business electricity customer has been called 20 times a day since moving into their new business premises 9 days ago. The customer has been called by several different companies but one of the unsolicited callers stated that all of the callers are part of the same “business energy network” and will make sure that the calls will stop if they signed up there and then, according to Energy Advice Line.

The cold caller also stated that the meter was “unregistered” and if it is not “registered” this week the supply will be disconnected.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of the UK’s leading business electricity price comparison service Energy Advice Line said that this is completely untrue, the cold caller has no ability to disconnect the supply and the terminology used of the meter being “unregistered” is designed to strike fear into the business electricity customer to get them to agree to the contract. The premise that they had the ability to end all of the other cold calling also highlights that the calls are being made from the same organisation but under different company names which could be designed to create the perception of choice for the customer. Luckily the customer did not fall into their trap and went online to compare prices before making a decision to go with a very competitive offer with Energy Advice Line.

If you need to obtain prices for your business electricity supply go online and compare the market using a reputable business electricity price comparison service such as Energy Advice Line. It only takes 5 minutes to compare business electricity prices using Energy Advice Line.

The UK’s leading business energy price comparison and switching service for business electricity rates called on all business consumers to say no to cold callers and to compare the market using a reputable online business electricity prices comparison service.

For further information on the business energy Say No to Cold Calling Campaign please contact Energy Advice Line on 0800 915 1800 or visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk/say-no-to-cold-calling.php

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, Business electricity price comparison
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Small firms could save energy on IT cloud

22 June 2012

More than a million small and medium-sized firms are unaware they could make significant savings on their business electricity costs by using the IT  ‘cloud’, according to a new survey.

According to Big Six energy supplier E.ON, SMEs in technology-intensive industries including business, professional, finance and property services do not realise that using the cloud could lower their business electricity bills.

Cloud computing allows SMEs to only pay for the computer power they use and the ability to scale their IT capacity up or down according to changing requirements, without the need for additional servers.

As a result, less computer and IT equipment is required, lowering a firm’s energy bills “significantly”, according to E.ON.

However, the E.ON survey found that 39% of SMEs admitted that they did not know what the cloud was.

SMEs in property services were the least knowledgeable about cloud computing, with only 25% admitting to knowing what it was, compared with 77% of those in business services.

Firms in the finance sector were the most ignorant, with only 3% aware that they could save up to 90% on their IT energy footprint by moving their business into the cloud.

“Energy is a hot topic for UK SMEs and it’s clear they are unaware of the energy saving solutions available to them,” according to Iain Walker, Head of Business Sales at E.ON.

“By adopting cloud computing, small businesses are in a win-win situation; they will be able to improve their productivity through its flexible approach and will benefit from savings on their IT energy expenditure.”

Julian Morgan, managing director of the Energy Advice Line, the UK’s leading price comparison and switching service for business electricity and gas users, agreed that cloud technology offered firms the potential to make bottom-line savings.

“By using the internet rather than physical servers to store and manage documents, paperwork and other business administration, firms can use less energy and achieve significant savings,” Mr Morgan said.

“The cloud is a green technology and business electricity users need to know that using this technology can reduce both their energy spend and their energy footprint.

“But it is also crucial for firms to realise that the simplest, easiest and most cost-effective way to reduce the amount they spend on business electricity is to change suppliers regularly.

“The evidence is very clear that pro-active firms that analyse the market to find the best deals pay significantly less for their business electricity than those that stay with their supplier year on year. “

The Energy Advice Line is the UK’s leading online price comparison and switching service dedicated to the specific needs of business electricity users. The service enables organisations of all sizes to quickly compare business energy prices and to switch suppliers easily.

The Energy Advice Line also offers a free and comprehensive contract management service to help firms deal with every aspect of their energy contract, including complementary reminders when fixed-term contracts come up for renewal.

For further information visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk.

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Uncategorized
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Business electricity users can cut bills by 20%, says British Gas

21 June 2012

The Energy Advice Line has cautiously welcomed a new campaign aimed at helping business electricity users to cut their energy costs by 20% each year, but has warned suppliers they need to do more to help small firms.

The campaign, launched on Monday June 11 by British Gas, will enable business energy users to access a real-time internet service that shows exactly how much energy they use at various times of the day.

The Business Energy Insight internet service aims to show the benefits of using smart meters; as well as showing hourly, daily, weekly and monthly electricity usage, the service will offer firms advice on how to use electricity more efficiently to cut bills.

Julian Morgan, managing director of the Energy Advice Line, the UK’s leading price comparison and switching service for business electricity and gas users, said the initiative was welcome but warned firms it was not a silver bullet.

“Any move by a Big Six supplier to help firms save money on their energy bills is obviously a step forward, as businesses are really struggling with mounting energy costs,” Mr Morgan said.

“But energy suppliers can do more. The introduction of smart meters is likely to save them money and we would like a guarantee that they will pass these savings on to their business energy customers.

“Encouraging business electricity users to use energy more efficiently and cost-effectively is all well and good, but firms are still paying more than they need to.

“If suppliers are really interested in savings businesses money there are also further things they can do to help. They could end the practice of cold-calling businesses and putting undue pressure on them to agree to expensive contracts, and they could also abandon expensive automatic rollover tariffs.”

Mr Morgan said that switching suppliers at the end of a fixed-term contract remained the easiest way for firms to reduce their energy bills.

“The easiest and most cost-effective way for business energy users to reduce their overheads is to change supplier – but under the current system there are many obstacles placed in the way of them doing this. Hopefully smart metering will form part of the solution.”

Smart meters allow customers to monitor their energy use through real-time energy readings, which remove the need for estimated bills. All domestic consumers and small business energy customers will have smart meters installed by 2019, while large business will have ‘advanced’ smart meters installed by April 2014.

The Energy Advice Line has previously called for the regulatory body to oversee the introduction of smart meters to ensure that business gas and business electricity customers benefit from any savings that suppliers make.

The Energy Advice Line is the only independent electricity price comparison and switching service in the UK designed exclusively for businesses. Firms can view the five most competitive energy offers from the UK’s leading suppliers online, compare prices against their renewal quotation and switch at the click of a button.

The Energy Advice Line’s expert team can also offer advice on how to switch suppliers, as well as a renewal reminder service to ensure you do not get caught in an expensive business energy rollover contract.

For more information visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, News
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Warning Business Electricity consumers moving into a new premises – check with your solicitor to make sure that the energy is still connected

18 June 2012

If you are moving into a business premises please check with your landlord or solicitor to check if the business energy supply is still connected or if any warrants for unpaid bills exist against the old tenant of the property, as you could end up paying up to £1000.00 to reconnect the business electricity according to Energy Advice Line.

Business electricity suppliers are starting to apply a no nonsense approach if unpaid debt is being accrued and disconnecting the supply. Although the premises supplier is entitled to do this if they have tried and failed to recover the debt this approach is unfortunately affecting new tenants or owners of the premises as they are being asked to foot the bill to reconnect the meter.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of the UK’s leading business electricity price comparison service Energy Advice Line said that the new occupiers of the premises should not have to foot the bill to connect the supply if the previous occupier worked up the debt. Suppliers will always disconnect a supply if they have made repeated attempts to recover the debt but it appears that they are exploiting a loophole in the supply terms and conditions by passing on the cost for reconnection to the new occupier. Unfortunately we are receiving more calls from new occupiers reporting this issue as businesses in the UK continue to struggle is these uncertain times.

At a time when new tenants are being targeted by unsolicited business electricity prices cold callers it is also important that new business owners also make sure that the electricity supply is still connected or check if a warrant has been issued against the premises.

For further information on this as well as the business energy Say No to Cold Calling Campaign please contact Energy Advice Line on FREE on 0800 915 1800 or visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk/say-no-to-cold-calling.php

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, Business electricity price comparison
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Be wary of business electricity cold callers using extra incentives to try and get customers to agree to a contract

17 June 2012

Unsolicited cold callers are now stooping to new lows by misleading business electricity customers into believing that they will get extra incentives if they agree to a commercial electricity contract with them, according to Energy Advice Line. Although certain suppliers will offer cash back incentives if specific criteria are met throughout the contract, this particular business energy cold caller from a rogue agency was offering a new smart meter advertised as being worth in excess of £400.00 if they signed up to the contract. Luckily the consumer did not agree to the contract but searched on online for the best possible deal and validated that the cold caller did not have the right to offer a new smart meter and the sales pitch was just a ploy to get the customer to sign up to a price that was 30% in excess of the current retail price.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of the Energy Advice Line said that the consumer did exactly the right thing by not agreeing to the contract as one of our impartial advisors was able to help the consumer through the business electricity price comparison process by validating that the price offered was far in excess of the current retail price for business electricity. This unsolicited and misleading approach simply has to stop.

If you are contacted by a company claiming to be offer FREE smart meter installations if you agree to a new contract, do not agree to anything and put the phone down.  If you need to obtain prices for your business electricity supply go online and compare the market using a reputable business electricity price comparison service such as Energy Advice Line. It only takes 5 minutes to compare business electricity rates using Energy Advice Line.

The UK’s leading business energy price comparison and switching service for business electricity rates called on all business consumers to say no to cold callers and to compare the market using a reputable online business electricity prices comparison service.

For further information on the business energy Say No to Cold Calling Campaign please contact Energy Advice Line on 0800 915 1800 or visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk/say-no-to-cold-calling.php

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, Business electricity price comparison
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Metering Database calls a business electricity consumer 27 times a day to try and secure a contract!

10 June 2012

An unsolicited cold caller a company called the “Metering Database” calls a business energy consumer up to 27 times a day on average to try and pressurise them into agreeing a contract with them. The commercial electricity consumer was left with no choice but to block inbound calls from a withheld source with their telecoms provider until they fully investigated who the company was and why they were using such aggressive tactics to get a sale.

The business electricity customer put the phone down, typed “Business Electricity Cold Calling” into Google and contacted Energy Advice Line after reading about the Say No to Cold Calling campaign.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of the Energy Advice Line said that the customer did exactly the right thing as one of the impartial Energy Advice Line advisors was able to offer a contract price that was 50% cheaper than the business electricity rates that was offered by the unsolicited cold caller from the “Metering Database”. The sheer number of calls that the cold caller made is staggering but is purely designed to wear down the unsuspecting customer into agreeing a contract that is usually very heavily commission weighted. This unsolicited and pressurising approach simply has to stop and Energy Advice Line will be lobbying the gas and electricity regulator OFGEM with the evidence that it is collecting from the campaign.

If you are contacted by a company claiming to be “Metering Database”, do not agree to anything, put the phone down immediately.  If you need to obtain prices for your business electricity supply go online and compare the market using a reputable business electricity price comparison service such as Energy Advice Line. It only takes 5 minutes to compare business electricity prices using Energy Advice Line.

The UK’s leading business energy price comparison and switching service for business electricity rates called on all business consumers to say no to cold callers and to compare the market using a reputable online business electricity prices comparison service.

For further information on the business energy Say No to Cold Calling Campaign please contact Energy Advice Line on 0800 915 1800 or visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk/say-no-to-cold-calling.php

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, Business electricity price comparison, business electric
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Business Electricity Customer is misled by unsolicited cold caller into believing that their existing contract had fallen through

8 June 2012

A business electricity customer who had already agreed to a contract with Energy Advice Line was called out of the blue and told that the contract had failed validation and they were chasing up on the paperwork so they could “put it right”. When the business energy customer informed the cold caller that they had completed the sign up with Energy Advice Line they insisted that they were calling on behalf of them, needed to validate the contract and required the meter serial number from the front of the meter. Although the claim that the contract needed validating was completely untrue the cold caller was very insistent that they needed the customer’s serial number.

Luckily the business energy customer did not believe the cold caller, put the phone down and contacted Energy Advice Line.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of the Energy Advice Line said that this proves that no business electric customers were safe from the approaches made by unsolicited cold callers – even those who have just completed a sign up with someone else.  The premise that the old caller was from calling from Energy Advice Line was very misleading and they were acting fraudulently. This simply has to stop and Energy Advice Line will be presenting the gas and electricity regulator OFGEM with this information.

If you are contacted out of the blue from someone who appears to be very pressurising in their sales approach please be very vigilant. Do not provide them with any information from your meter and put the phone down immediately.  If you need to obtain prices for your business electricity supply go online and compare the market using a reputable price comparison service such as Energy Advice Line. It only takes 5 minutes to compare business electricity prices using Energy Advice Line. It is vital when making a vital decision that affects the bottom line of your business that you stay in control at all times by using online impartial business electricity price comparison services and not accepting contracts from companies that call you out of the blue.

The UK’s leading business energy price comparison and switching service for business electricity rates called on all business consumers to say no to cold callers and to compare the market using a reputable online business electricity prices comparison service.

For further information on the business energy Say No to Cold Calling Campaign please contact Energy Advice Line on 0800 915 1800 or visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk/say-no-to-cold-calling.php

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, Business electricity price comparison, business electric
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In

Market leading Business Electricity supplier misleads consumer with sales approach by offering a supposed dual fuel discount

5 June 2012

A cold caller from a well-known business electricity supplier misleads a consumer into taking a gas contract with them by telling them that the business gas price was being heavily discounted based on the fact that they already supplied the electricity to the premises, according to Energy Advice Line.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of the Energy Advice Line said that luckily the business energy consumer did not believe the approach as they were being very pressurizing, put the telephone down and compared prices online to make sure what they were being told was in fact correct. It turned out that the business gas price that was being offered was in-fact grossly inflated and way above the current retail price. Dual fuel discounts are common place in the domestic market but this does not usually apply in the commercial electricity market. It pays for consumers to compare business electricity prices in all instances to make sure that they are getting the best possible price for their business.

If you are cold called even by your current supplier offering what they claim to be a fantastic price do not agree to anything over the phone, but just ask for their best price. If you need to obtain prices for your business electricity or gas supply go online and compare the market using a reputable price comparison service such as Energy Advice Line. It only takes 5 minutes to compare business electricity rates using Energy Advice Line.

The UK’s leading business energy price comparison and switching service for business electricity rates called on all business consumers to say no to cold callers and to compare the market using a reputable online business electricity prices comparison service.

For further information on the business energy Say No to Cold Calling Campaign please contact Energy Advice Line on 0800 915 1800 or visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk/say-no-to-cold-calling.php

COMMENTS
Comments Off
CATEGORIES
Business Electricity, Business Electricity Prices, Business Electricity Rates, Business Energy, Business Gas, Business electricity price comparison
AUTHOR
Julian Morgan, MD Energy Advice Line
SOCIAL
Twitter RSS Linked In