30.04.08 Energy companies to help those in fuel poverty
The scandal of the fuel poverty trap has been in the headlines on numerous occasions recently, often coinciding ironically with the news of bumper profits for the energy industry.
Fuel poverty is officially defined as having to spend 10% or more of the household income on fuel bills. It is estimated that between 3 and 4.5 million households in the UK are living in the so-called fuel poverty trap, in many instances having to choose between eating properly and heating their homes adequately.
One would think that it is good news, therefore, that the industry is to spend £225 million over three years, in an attempt to help those least able to afford to pay their gas and electricity bills. £50 million of the £225 million will be made available this fiscal year, £75 million in 2009-2010 and £100 million in 2010-2011. It is hoped that some 100,000 households will benefit and find themselves lifted out of the fuel poverty trap.
However, Ann Robinson of the price comparison website uSwitch points out that although the figures sound generous, when one does the sums it works out at under £18 per household per year. With the average fuel bill topping the £1000 mark, this paltry £18 is unlikely to make much of a difference to the most vulnerable members of society.
Those finding it difficult to pay their energy bills are advised to contact their fuel provider to see what help can be offered, as well as ensuring that they are on the cheapest possible tariff.
22.04.08 'Turn Off Week': a week without TV?
The one thing we all know that 15 year-olds like to do is watch television, but a Climate Change Champion from Skewen near Neath in Wales has broken the stereotype and is trying to get his family to turn off the TV for a whole week.
Adam Amor was awarded the Young Climate Champion by the Assembly Government. It’s an award that was set up in 2007 and intends to turn environmental issues into a competition to try and make people more excited and encouraged to help save the planet. Adam was one of six young teens who won the award and will be helping the local councils come up with relevant and exciting initiatives for tackling climate change.
The week beginning the 21st April is being called ‘Turn Off TV’ week and in a strange role reversal, Adam has persuaded his own family and a number of others in his local area to spend the week without the box on. He is now looking to branch out and recruit more families in the Rhondda area.
Adam wants people to spend a week discovering new ways to entertain themselves that don’t involve electricity being eaten up all day and night. Switching from ‘standby’ to ‘off’ is one of the things Adam is making people more aware of in his campaign. He’s a little voice but one that’s more likely to be heard as it’s unique for a person so young to be so willing to give up TV for the sake of the planet. Let’s hope it switches on the minds of the rest of the UK.
15.04.08 Sunday Times reveals cheating tactics of Npower
Hot on the heels of the news that over 5 million of us changed energy provider last year, comes a report from the Sunday Times, which may go some way to explaining the figures. An undercover reporter for the newspaper, working as a trainee saleswoman for Npower, learned that the energy giant is using blatant lies to con unsuspecting householders into changing energy provider.
The journalist spent three weeks being “trained” by experienced sales team members, one of whom admitted that were honesty to be employed, they would never sell anything. Following the Sunday Times investigation, Npower has suspended 17 members of staff. Dishonest tactics employed by Npower sales persons included describing themselves as “the electricity board” which, they said, controls all the energy companies, exploiting Asian and Polish householders whose English was reckoned to be poor, and getting customers to sign a form, purportedly requesting further information but which was in fact a contract. Other victims of such lies include a 91 year old blind man and a man with learning difficulties. The reporter was told that if the householder was aged 45 to 50 and white then she should tell them the truth.
Peter Luff, the chair of the Commons business and enterprise committee, has called for an enquiry by Ofgem and said that he would be making his own enquiries into the matter. A spokesperson for Npower, incidentally the worst energy company for customer complaints, has expressed shock, since the company prides itself on the professionalism of its sales staff.
08.04.08 Wind Turbines for motorways and public buildings
The head of the Government’s Committee on Climate Change has announced that wind turbines may have to be built on the central reservations of motorways and beside schools and other buildings, in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lord Turner said that people would have to accept “some visual intrusion”, particularly in areas such as motorways where such an intrusion already exists.
He suggested that wind turbines may, at some point in the not too distant future, be a feature every 300 yards up motorways to maximise the potential of wind power. The turbines which he envisages being built outside schools, hospitals and factories would be intermediate sized rather than the huge ones which are familiar to those living in certain parts of the UK.
The Government is determined that by 2020, 20% of the country’s energy will come from renewable sources. However, after Lord Turner’s suggestions were reported in the Daily Telegraph, readers voiced concerns over not only the visual intrusion of what most perceive to be rather ugly blots on the landscape, but also the practicalities. L. A. Riches of Leicestershire pointed out that the base of a typical wind turbine tower would require almost two lanes of a motorway, whilst Andrew Merifield of Hartlepool wondered how many months of disruption the erection and subsequent maintenance of these wind turbines would cause for motorists.
Professor Jefferson of Bedfordshire was concerned about the danger to drivers of shadow flicker from the turbines. At certain times of the year the sun hits the blades of the turbine at such an angle as to cause a flickering shadow. In 2005 a turbine near a prison in Cambridgeshire was shut down for a few hours each morning to reduce irritation to prisoners.
01.04.08 Saving electricity and the planet with the NRG dock
With everyone keen these days to show off their green credentials, consumers are looking for new environmentally friendly solutions to old problems and the NRG Dock is one such solution. It is a gadget designed to recharge your laptop, mobile, iPod, a Gameboy or the likes, but using solar power.
Unusually for this sort of gadget, the NRG Dock is aimed at the domestic user and comes in two models: the Dock 1 and the Dock 2.
The Dock 1 is designed for those of us with gardens, or at least a balcony. It comes in two parts: a solar panel, which is placed in the garden on a clear day, and the other (the dock itself), which is placed in the house. It is backed up by a battery in case it gets dark whilst in use and will produce enough energy to charge a laptop or several smaller devices.
The Dock 2 is about half the size of the larger version and is designed for people living in flats who do not have access to outside space. It is attached to the inside of a window by suction devices and can be used for smaller gadgets, although it does not have the capacity for laptops.
At £400 for the Dock 1, these devices are not cheap and, depending on how often you charge your gadgets, it could take a long time to recoup its cost. It has to be said though that it could be useful for emergencies or when camping or travelling. For those intent on saving the planet, however, one thorny question remains: will the environmental costs of producing this gadget ever be off set by the power it generates?
