It’s cold up north and it might get a whole lot colder The yes / no vote on Scottish Independence may still be five months away but that isn’t stopping the various factions getting in their claims and counter-claims. Most, quite frankly, are not terribly interesting or relevant, whilst some, like the future of the […]
The Future of UK Coal
Short-term support, long-term hope Just last week in our news piece ‘The Mining Minority’ we talked of the prospect of just a single deep-pit coal mine being left in operation in the UK. In the face of this, Michael Fallon, the energy minister, confirmed plans to extend a £10m loan to delay the seemingly inevitable […]
A Week in the Life of Sam Laidlaw
What a busy few weeks for Centrica Chief Executive Sam Laidlaw. Announcing the energy apocalypse that the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the UK energy market would bring; Giving up his bonus to Charity; Being widely denounced and derided for his doomsday scenarios and being labeled a “scaremonger” by his largest rival; Being awarded […]
The Energy Ombudsman – Complaints at All Time High
Busier than ever, but no more visible The Energy Ombudsman, the little known, but crucial arbiter on the most serious energy supplier disputes claims that the number of complaints they are dealing with is at an all time high. In Q1 2013 the Ombudsman received 3,277 complaints In the first three months of 2014 this […]
Can you generate electricity from rainfall?
In the first of a new series from Business Juice we attempt to answer some scientific questions about how the future of energy could evolve. Today we ask: Is it possible to generate electricity from rainfall? The last 12 months have seen an incredible amount of rainfall in the UK, in fact it’s pouring down […]
Ofgem to Strengthen 3-Week Switching Rules
Ofgem has published its solution to the much-criticised energy switching process by proposing tougher rules to help enforce the pre-existing 3-week switching timescale for energy customers. Whilst this is only at consultation stage, Ofgem is looking to amend suppliers’ licence conditions to enable them to take enforcement action against suppliers who consistently fail to fulfil […]
Is nuclear fusion going to become reality any time soon?
In the latest in our series of attempts to answer some scientific questions about how the future of energy could evolve, today we ask: Is nuclear fusion going to become reality any time soon? Nuclear fusion is an energy producers’ dream. No carbon emissions, low-level waste, and a near-inexhaustible fuel, and a good role model […]
British Gas Business Fined £5.6m
6 Years Later… Fined £5.6m for switching irregularities In one of the longest running complaints about a business energy supplier, Ofgem have found British Gas Business guilty of a series of transfer, switching and renewal irregularities. Follow the link for more information about the Energy Efficiency Fund and to register an interest. Ofgem today announced: […]
Electricity storage: beyond the battery
For some time now the government has been urged to support the development of technology to store electricity. To achieve this three things need to be established How much electricity storage we will need as a nation. Policy frameworks that will incentivise investment in the technology Support to help the UK become a world-leader in electricity […]
Energy Efficiency At Work
Understanding Responsibilities Who should be responsible for energy efficiency in the work place: employers or employees? Most businesses aren’t sure. A study conducted by E.ON looked into workplace habits and found that just one in ten workers acknowledged that energy efficiency was part of their role, while many junior executives believed it was the role […]