Archive for the ‘Business Energy’ Category

BT proposes long wave radio for smart meter network

22 July 2010

BT aim to create a secure, dedicated communications network for the millions of smart meters set to be installed for home and business electricity and gas customers across the UK.

The telecommunications giant has joined forces with Arqiva, specialists in broadcast infrastructure, and business consultants Detica to take advantage of the proposed smart metering initiative.

Under the scheme, by 2020 28 million homes and businesses will have smart meters installed. These will enable users to monitor how much energy is being consumed – vital to businesses aiming to keep overheads of business gas and electricity as low as possible as it then means steps can be taken to use energy more efficiently.

Smart meters will also help utility companies make their networks more efficient, and may lead to the introduction of specially tailored energy package based on customer usage data.

BT is proposing a long range radio scheme, which a BT spokesperson told Telecoms.com “can provide truly nationwide coverage and dependable reception indoors.” This makes it more reliable than mobile telephone communications.

Smart meters were first introduced as standard in the UK in 2008.

Read the full article in Telecoms.Com.

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Funding cut for green energy technology

21 July 2010

Investment is urgently needed in green energy and low carbon programmes, despite the UK government’s recent decision to cut them by £34million.

Energy Efficiency News reports that the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has urged the government to protect funding for low-carbon technology, research, development and rolling out.

The independent committee has warned that new low-carbon technologies need support from the government if the target of cutting emissions by  80 per cent by 2050 is to be met.

This recommendation comes just days after the Department of Energy and Climate Change announced £34million of cuts to low-carbon projects as part of the government’s wider £6.2billion of spending cuts.

Among the projects losing out are The Carbon Trust, which will see its grant for low carbon technology and business support cut by £12.6 million, the Low Carbon Buildings Fund, which will close early to save £3million, and the Central Government Low Carbon Technology Programme, which will have its funding reduced to save £2.9million.

DECC is keen to emphasise that it is still investing more than £150million in low technologies this year alone.

The CCC’s report also supports the continued deployment of nuclear power alongside green technologies, with the goal of securing supply and keeping prices manageable for domestic and business electricity customers.

Read about the funding cuts here.

And the CCC’s report here.

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Britain needs investment for energy

12 July 2010

Investment in the energy industry is urgently needed if an energy crisis is to be avoided. That’s the stark warning from the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF). The UK’s competitiveness and future security could be under threat if the government does not do anything.

The report, in The Independent, highlights how the UK faces a series of unprecedented energy challenges in the next ten years and the EEF urge the government to act now on issues such as tax and planning permission to encourage private companies to invest in the energy industry.

The EEF has launched an Energy Action Plan, a blueprint for attracting the billions of pounds of investment needed to meet government targets on renewable energy, and also to act as a safeguard for domestic and business energy customers.

The warning comes on the same day that The Independent reports that measures to tackle climate change could push up bills for domestic and business electricity customers alike.

Measures brought in last year added 21 per cent on to business electricity bills and last year’s renewable energy strategy could have added up to 70 per cent to business energy bills by 2020.

A review by economist Ruth Lea and Jeremy Nicholson from the Energy Intensive Users Group warned that the UK is badly placed to meet its renewable targets because it was starting from a very low base.

They urged action on business energy prices to prevent a migration of manufacturing companies to countries with cheaper business energy.

Read about the risk of energy crisis here.

And the warning about manufacturing here.

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Local businesses to get £1billion help from UK government

6 July 2010

Businesses most affected by cuts in public spending and the demise of Regional Development Agencies will get £1billion of help from the government, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced.

Regional Development Agencies have played a pivotal role in developing investment in low-carbon methods of business energy generation.

As Energy Efficiency news reports, Mr Clegg also announced that Local Enterprise Partnerships between local businesses and councils would be formed to replace the RDAs. However, while they will cover such areas as local transport and supporting new businesses, LEPs won’t cover such areas as inward investment or access to finance, which will instead be led nationally.

The abolition of the RDAs casts doubt over such projects as the Wave Hub project to drive the development of wave power for domestic and business electricity in the future.

You can read the full story at Energy Efficiency News.

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Schools get free solar panels to generate own business energy

29 June 2010

Business energy giant British Gas is to invest £15million in solar panels for UK schools. A total of 750 schools will benefit from the scheme, which will see solar panels installed for free, enabling each school to cut up to 20 per cent of its yearly electricity bill by generating its own green business electricity.

The panels are expected to generated about £1.3m per year through the feed in tariff scheme over the next 25 years, and British Gas will invest this back into installing solar panels on more schools through the not-for-profit Energy For Tomorrow Trust.

The schools will also receive a smart meter from British Gas, enabling teachers to use them to show pupils real-time business electricity consumption, educating future generations on how solar power can make a difference.

There will also be ‘Generation Green’ lesson plans to help teachers in this task.

Solar panels are increasingly popular for business electricity generation for many businesses, with many SMEs considering them as realistic prospect.

Would your business consider using solar power to generate business electricity? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment.

Read the full story at Utility Week

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Business energy shortage and powercuts are biggest concerns for business executives

21 June 2010

A shortage of business energy is one of the biggest fears for UK businesses, a new survey by T-Systems has found.

Sharp rises in the cost of business electricity and gas have also been cited as areas of major concern. The research was carried out in co-operation with the Economist Intelligence Unit and shows that more than 80% of directors and senior executives with large organisations fear sharp price increases and almost 50% expect demand for electricity to outstrip supply within the next five years.

Commenting on the report, Sam Kingston, managing director of T-Systems in the UK, said: “In the near future, access to energy and its careful management will be as critical to business success as, for instance, access to capital and management of capital is today…

“…Smart energy strategies at individual businesses as well as at the national level will need to be supported by advanced technologies that will ensure transparency of usage across the supply chain.”

Other key points uncovered in the report included nuclear energy will be the primary solution to the UK’s energy needs in the foreseeable future, and that 90% of businesses polled had already taken steps to increase their energy efficiency and cut their costs.

We’d like to know what small and medium sized business owners think the most important areas of the business environment are for the new government to focus on. Secure energy supply polled very highly in this report – do you agree, or do you have different priorities?

To find out how you can save money on your business energy, contact Energy Advice Line.

You can read the full report at Response Source.

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Government departments show business energy consumption in real time

15 June 2010

Two of the UK’s government departments, the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Home Office, have put their business energy consumption on display in real time, reports Energy Efficiency News.

The online display is part of the government’s commitment to cut its energy emissions by 10% during its first year in office.

While the Home Office display will show the amount and cost of business energy used each day, the DECC homepage will show peaks and troughs of energy demand throughout each 24 hour period.

If the trial proves successful, the business energy monitoring scheme will then be rolled out to other government departments.

Read the full story at Energy Efficiency News.

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M&S Reduces Business Electricity Costs

14 June 2010

High street retailer Marks & Spencer has announced success in its attempts to increase business energy efficiency.

As well as increasing the energy efficiency of its stores by 19% and slashing carbon emissions by 8%, the company has also saved money on business electricity prices by switching to green tariffs.

The energy savings are part of Marks & Spencer’s five year ecologically friendly and ethical Plan A, set out in 2007. Back then, 100 commitments were set out to be achieved in five years. Of those original 100, M&S report they have met 62, 30 remain on target and just 7 are behind. Furthermore, the company has extended its Plan A targets to 180 commitments to be met by 2015.

There are several ways that businesses large and small can increase their business energy efficiency and save money on business electricity and gas.

For free, impartial advice on improving business energy efficiency and on finding the right tariff for your business’s aims needs and ethos, contact Energy Advice Line today.

Read the full story in Energy Efficiency News.

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Wind turbines scrapped for London Olympics

9 June 2010

A wind turbine planned to generate electricity for the 2012 London Olympics will now not be built.

The body responsible for delivering the 2012 Olympics, the Olympic Development Agency (ODA), has confirmed it is scrapping plans for a wind turbine at the Olympic Park because of tough new health and safety regulations.

However, the ODA insists it remains committed to meeting the sustainability targets put in place for the site – 20% of the site’s legacy energy needs to be generated from renewable sources by 2014, when the park will be fully operational.

Domestic and business energy customers who move into the site will be affected by these renewables targets, with possible solutions to renewable electricity generation including photo volatic panels being installed around the site and biomass gasification to generate heat and electricity.

Read the full story at the London 2012 site.

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UK to export waste for fuel

1 June 2010
What the garbage man collects may soon be turned into business energy.

What the garbage man collects may soon be turned into business energy.

The UK will soon start exporting rubbish previously destined for landfill for European countries to generate business energy for factories.

This country has to substantially reduce its landfill or it will face large fines. However, efforts to encourage more recycling of waste have not been as successful in Britain as elsewhere in Europe, meaning alternative ways to dispose of waste matter have to be explored.

The flip side of having a more successful recycling programme is a lack of material to burn to generate business energy for factories and the like; that’s where Britain can step in with rubbish pellets.

While local authorities welcome the move and say it is a cost effective way of disposing of rubbish, environmentalists are concerned about the potential pollution this could cause.

Read the full story in The Daily Telegraph.

Picture credit – CCA: Garbage Truck by Jeffrey Beall

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