The Pentland Firth will be home to ten new marine power generation projects.

There have been lots of exciting developments in the electricity market over the past few days, with the unveiling of ten new power generation projects off the north coast of Scotland and a loan of £80million from the government to a Sheffield company to develop a giant steel press to manufacture components for the nuclear power industry. But on the same day these stories broke, it was revealed that energy bills will rise under EU plans to slash carbon dioxide emissions. What many business energy customers will be wondering is; what does this mean for me?

Yesterday, it was announced that ten huge power generation projects would be implemented in the Pentland Firth, between Orkney and John O’Groats at the very tip of the Scottish mainland. Owners of the seabed the Crown Estate green lit the establishment of large scale marine energy generation projects here.

Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, is a long-term supporter of green energy initiatives, and his SNP party are opposed to nuclear energy, so he was understandably gleeful at the Crown Estate’s announcement.

However, let’s put things into perspective. Even with all of these projects working perfectly, they will only meet a small part of Scotland’s energy needs – never mind the rest of the UK. A similar marine energy generation station, called SeaGen, already exists off Portaferry in Northern Ireland, which has so far delivered 800MWh of electricity into the national grid. However, it’s not been without its problems: last year, one of the blades fell off the underwater propeller and had to be replaced.

Meanwhile, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson was in Sheffield today to visit Sheffield Forgemasters, who have received £80million from the government to help build a 15,000 tonne steel press that will enable the construction of components for the nuclear power industry. This will bring more than 150 skilled jobs to the area.

All these steps towards a low carbon economy are great, and help towards the government target of cutting greenhouse gasses by 34% in the next ten years. But a report in The Times yesterday highlighted the cost implications this could have for domestic and business energy customers.

It’s going to become ever more crucial over the coming years to keep an eye on business energy prices and make sure you are on the best tariff for your company’s needs. By using an impartial advisor such as Energy Advice Line, you can be sure that you are on the best pricing plan for your business’s needs.

There are also several steps you can take right now to save business energy. Switching off lights in empty rooms, making sure you turn off computer monitors at night (or when away from your desk for a long time) or ensuring such things as your refrigeration system are at the right temperature are just some ways of saving business energy.

We’d like to hear your business energy saving tips. Let us know what you do to save business energy by leaving a comment or sending us a tweet to @energyadviceuk.

Read the Daily Record story on Scotland’s marine power developments here.

Learn more about Lord Mandelson’s visit to Sheffield from the Daily Telegraph.

Read the BBC News report on Northern Ireland marine energy generation.

And read the Times article about rising energy bills with greenhouse gas clampdowns.

Picture credit – CCA: Lighthouse by jack_spellingbacon from Flickr

There may be more gas beneath British waters than previously estimated.

Fears that the UK could suffer disruptions to its gas supply, affecting thousands of business gas customers, might have been over-egged, according to a recent report by industry body Oil and Gas UK.

According to a BBC report, there is more gas than previously calculated beneath British waters. But the industry body also warned that there was an urgent need for up to £25bn of spending on capital to improve the infrastructure so that these reserves can be exploited.

Speaking to the BBC, Oil and Gas UK’s chief executive, said: “The UK’s oil and gas industry can help secure energy supplies for years to come.” This will be welcome news to the ears of countless business energy customers, for whom supply warnings are a real concern, and the topic has been something of a hot potato among not just these business energy consumers, but also the media and politicians.

With so much doom-mongering and negativity in many of these stories, it’s good to hear some positive news regarding gas supply. I was also quite taken with a story from Calderdale in Yorkshire, where two businesses have won awards from the Yorkshire & Humber Microgeneration Partnership for their regeneration work using renewable energy. This is something more business energy customers are being encouraged to do in the future.

Ploughcroft Ltd, from Brighouse, were presented with the award for Best Business Initiative for creating a solar roofing NVQ, while Harmsworth, Townley & Co Ltd from Todmorten won the Best Commercial Installation for its offices, The Melting Pot.

The Melting Pot is a former glassworks which was renovated to make use of renewable business electricity, including installing solar hot water and solar electricity panels.

Business energy consumers are being encouraged to embrace renewable energy sources, and of course this is a good thing. However, many of these schemes involve investment and infrastructure changes. Did you know there are things you can do today, right now, to save money on your business gas and business electricity, and be greener too? Check out Energy Advice Line’s top tips for saving energy.

For advice on all your business energy needs, contact Energy Advice Line, who can help with queries about suppliers, contracts and tariffs.

Read the full BBC story here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8530228.stm

And read the Halifax Courier story here:

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/local-business/Two-are-top-for-energy.6094234.jp

Picture credit – CCA: North Sea by Strocci from Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strocchi/1348020600/

Energy giants including EON, Scottish Power and Centrica are part of the Gas Storage Operators Group, which has raised objections to a proposed increase in fees by the Crown Estate for use of North Sea fuel fields. The projects have already been subject to delays and the dispute over fees could see them held back further.

For business gas customers, the prospect of a supply shortage is potentially highly damaging, and during the cold spell at the start of the year, questions over the supply of gas were raised in parliament after the National Grid issued a Gas Balancing Alert. The purpose of the expansion is to prevent a repeat of such warnings, and potential price spikes, in years to come.

In order to prevent your business being caught out by any price increases, it’s a good idea to be aware of when your business gas contract is up for renewal, and to ensure you shop around for the best deal. Using a comparison site such as Energy Advice Line can make this a quick and pain-free process. We work with all the major suppliers in the market place and because of our buying power are able to make savings of up to 50 per cent for both business gas and business electricity customers. What’s more, we are completely independent and all our advice is free.

Gas platform. Creative Commons Attribution: Strocchi http://www.flickr.com/photos/strocchi/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

At EAL we offer a wide range of contract options to suit most business requirements. You can talk free to one of our advisers by calling 0800 915 1800 or chat online at www.energyadviceline.org.uk

To read the full article, published in The Daily Telegraph on January 23, click this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/7063123/Crown-in-row-over-energy-supply.html