Only days after we were hearing reports of its fall to new lows, the gas price has started to rebound in strong style. Only last week, the price of gas for the coming Winter (2014/15) was being traded at its lowest level ever. Gas, like electricity, can be traded many years in advance of its […]
Greg Barker, Energy and Climate Minister, To Leave in Reshuffle
Goodbye Greg, thanks for the memories… In the biggest shake up the cabinet and government departments have seen in years or as the Daily Telegraph have coined it “The cull of the middle class, middle aged men”, Greg Barker Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change is no more. Having been in post since […]
SMEs in Energy Efficiency Boost
Up to 20 UK SMEs stand ready to be given up to £2m to invest in energy efficiency, that is the sum promised by three organisations focussed on the promotion of and investment in renewable energy. At the core of the scheme is the UK Green Investment Bank, a business owned by the UK government […]
Renewable and Green Energy In the News
Renewable and green energy just can’t be kept out of the news at the moment. Whether it’s bold new sources, government subsidies, confused customers or cost concerns, renewable energy is a constant feature of the headlines. To underline its growing importance, the Office of National Statistics has reported that the influence of renewable energy on […]
Payment Delays and Small Businesses
As if, even in this recovering economic climate, running an SME wasn’t challenging enough, new analysis of Companies House data has revealed that micro businesses in the UK are owed 19% of their turnover in trade debt. Trade debt is defined as the money owed to a business, including current invoices and overdue payments, for […]
Calls for National Audit Office Review of Electricity Costs
Gloves off Amongst Networks, Ofgem and Suppliers Electricity distribution and transmission costs should be analysed by the National Audit Office (NAO), that was the call delivered by Andy Manning, head of network regulation at British Gas. Manning said that there was a requirement for a “detailed independent analysis” to be undertaken into why the networks, […]
Ofgem Investigates New Connections
The New Supply Electricity Market For anyone who has ever tried to organise a new connection in the electricity market – where cables, wires and meters are laid for the first time and a new or renovated premise is ‘connected’ to the grid – they will know that the process is not simple, straightforward or […]
Battling Energy Black-Outs
The UK energy market is under unprecedented pressure, whatever the background noise of a Competition and Markets Authority investigation or the Labour led promise of price freezes, the here and now of the energy market is the fact that demand will soon outstrip supply if power plants continue to be decommissioned without replacements being ready […]
Ofgem’s Supply Market Indicator Report
June 2014 Ofgem’s latest Supply Market Indicator report was released at the end of June 2014. This regular monthly update, released on the last Thursday of each month is most renowned for its forecast of the average bill for gas and electricity, however there are significantly more interesting insights than the headline price. Not least […]
IPPR Calls to Double Paternity Leave
IPPR – The Enemy of Small Businesses? In another outburst to strike fear into SMEs throughout the UK, calls are being made for statutory paternity leave to be doubled. The IPPR, that doyen of the ‘centre left’ claims in their report ‘The Condition of Britain’ that such a move would encourage fathers to spend more […]