Renewable Energy at Discovery World, Milwaukee. Could this one day be a common sight in the UK?
In a speech to the world’s leading business and investment leaders today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown named the UK as a “world leader” in terms of renewable energy development.
Speaking at the Global Investment Conference, Mr Brown sited the fact that the UK has the world’s largest installed capacity of offshore wind electricity generation as a key factor in cementing this position. He also pledged that the Labour government would “act strategically” to make the country’s energy greener.
This will be welcome news to thousands of business energy customers who are all too aware of the need to generate far more energy from renewable sources.
The warnings issued by OfGem earlier this month that the possibility of energy blackouts was a distinctly real one without investment in the region of £200billion into the industry has ruffled the feathers of many business electricity customers – a number of whom are already struggling with their business energy costs.
Another part of Mr Brown’s speech I found interesting was when he praised the UK for being one of the easiest places in the world to start up a business.
“The UK currently has the lowest barriers to entrepreneurship,” Mr Brown said. He revealed that, on average, it costs just £20 to start a business in the UK, while the average for the rest of Europe is £382.
This is, of course, extremely good to hear. However, as small and medium business owners will know, once established businesses can face an uphill struggle, and overheads such as business electricity or business gas can make all the difference between a profitable business and one that is unsustainable.
On the same day as Mr Brown made his speech, it has been widely reported that Centrica – parent company of British Gas – is likely to face an enquiry for allegedly not passing on wholesale gas price cuts to customers.
The key with keeping on top of business energy overheads is to be aware of when your contract is up for renewal. By contacting independent advice services such as Energy Advice Line, you can be reminded of your contract renewal date and ensure that you pay the best price for your business gas and business electricity to suit your business needs – all for free.
You can read Gordon Brown’s speech in full here:
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22554
And read about the possibility of an inquiry into Centrica’s profits at the Financial Times, here:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2b723b0-1dbe-11df-9e98-00144feab49a.html
Picture credit – CCA: Renewable Energy at Discovery world by mjmonty from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjmonty/
Tags: Business Electricity, Business Energy, Business Gas, Green energy
