UK Energy Brokers could have a brand new product to market soon to the commercial energy market, because on the day that British Gas gets rapped over record profits, a brand new energy saving product is released in the United States.

A Silicon Valley based company called Bloom Energy, has finally launched its new commercial energy brokers product the Bloom Energy Server, that could change the way companies buy business energy in the future.  The Bloom Energy Server is a large metal box about the size of a small van, which can generate electricity from a wide range of different fuels, and at the same time producing very low greenhouse gas emissions.  This could be a new type of renewable energy source, and unlike traditional renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels, each solution produces a constant source of energy for years, which could allow companies to be self sustaining or even disconnect themselves from the national grid.

What Is The Bloom Box

The product that has been dubbed the “power plant in a box”, is in fact a new type of large fuel cell, capable of generating 100 kilowatts of electricity, which uses solid oxide fuel cells, which generate electrical power through an electrochemical reaction between oxygen and an additional fuel such as natural gas, ethanol gas and even landfill gas, which causes electrons in the cell to flow through the ceramic materials which in turn generates an electrical current to power businesses or homes.

The Future Market – The shape of things to come

Will this new product be the start of the end for traditional forms of energy generation, and could this lead eventually to every business and home having there very own mini power plant on site.  Well only time will tell, for the time being this product remains out of the price range of most small businesses, and its long term viability and reliability remain to be seen.  

We would like to see how the market takes to this new product over the coming months and what rival competitors now bring to the market following this launch.  This new technology, like anything will develop over time and once mass produced, we will see the cost point come down to a level that makes it viable for everyone.  We don’t expect this to ever be a perfect solution but it could make a big difference to future generations and go along way to a reliable and sustainable form of energy.

In Summary

With the pending introduction of the UK carbon reduction commitment scheme, it is highly likely that we are going to see a big uptake in these new types of technology as business energy brokers look to advice clients on reducing their overall carbon emissions in the future.  Many questions on the reliability and the long term value of this product remain to be seen.  However we look forward to seeing what happens in the future, and what additional technology breakthroughs bring to the market.

How to find out if you have a half hourly meter –

So how do you know if you have a half hour meter?  It’s actually quite straight forward, and all you will need to find this out is a recent copy of your electricity bill.  It doesn’t have to be the latest half hourly electricity invoice, any recent bill will do.  Then on your invoice you need to find your meter point reference number or MPAN for short.  This is a numerical version of your tariff and supply point details, and is unique to your supply.

This is how half hourly suppliers’ mange to identify your supply details and price up your electricity requirements.  The MPAN is a series of numbers, normally in a box and usually identified with a large S at the front.  In nearly all cases theses number are split up into two lines with 8 numbers at the top and 13 numbers at the bottom.

Youtube - How to find out if you have a Half Hourly meter?

The bottom line is the part that’s unique to your half hour supply, and this is how your supply details are used by a supplier.  It’s actually the top part that allows you to identify if you have a half hourly meter.

And you need to look at the first two digits of this top line, if these two digits are both zeros then you have a half hourly supplied meter and you will need to speak to a specialist half hourly supplier such as Catalyst in order to obtain comparative quotes.

If these two numbers are not “00” then it will be one of these – “03,04,05,06,07,08” which indicate that you have a non half hourly meter or NHH supply.  In some cases if you have a very small supply then it may fall into a domestic meter profile which is indicated as a “01 or 02” on your bills.

The thing to note here is that if your not sure if you have a half hourly supplied meter, then you can always just ring your supplier and ask them.  Some suppliers deliberately don’t show the top line on invoices any more for exactly that reason.  As it offers a reason for you to engage with them, and gives them the ability to up sell additional services.

If you want to compare half hourly suppliers or need help in identifying if you have a half hourly meter, please feel free to contact a member of our team.

UK business gas suppliers will be happy today after the announcement from Ofgem that it has issued the first ever license to build a new gas storage facility under the Irish Sea.  It is reported that over twenty redundant salt caverns will be used to store UK gas supplies for future use.  (more…)

Business Gas Prices can be difficult to understand, as there are many different types of pricing structures available.  You could simply ring around and obtain gas prices direct from suppliers, but it can be difficult to compare gas suppliers once you have the offers in.  They all operate on different time scales, and because the prices vary daily, it can be very difficult comparing business gas suppliers. (more…)

Half hourly electricity meters are large commercial electricity supplies that have an average peak electricity demand greater than 100kW in any three months of the previous year. And it is very simple to check if you have a half hourly electricity meter, simply refer to your most recent copy bill and look for your meter reference number, if this begins with “00” then you have a half hourly electricity meter.

Most half hourly meters will have a communications link so that meters can be read remotely on a daily basis by your supplier.  This provides what is known as half hourly data, and half hourly data provides a good source of information for energy management.

We can provide our half hourly customers with free online access to their data and with over 150 free reports we can present this in a format that will help any business identify potential energy savings and help you to produce your company carbon reports.  Monitoring energy consumption is vitally important for businesses that want to cut their costs and environmental impact by saving energy.

Having your half hourly data won’t help you get the cheapest gas and electricity supplier, but it is used by the suppliers to help them determine how you use your energy.  To get the best gas and electricity prices we would always recommend using an energy broker such as Catalyst.  This can help your business do an effective gas and electricity comparison against your current charges. 

Although there are many half hourly electricity suppliers, there are only a limited number of companies that will be able to give to a complete overview of the market.

In summary half-hourly meters and half-hourly data is very common throughout the world, but it is particularly prevalent in the UK, where half-hourly metering is mandatory for all electricity customers with a maximum power demand (peak load) greater than 100 kW.  This means that UK buildings which, over any single half-hour period, draw an average power of 100 kW or more from the grid, will almost certainly have a half-hourly meter, and limited access to their half-hourly data through their electricity supplier. 

If you are a business owner, finding a cost effective commercial gas supplier can be difficult.  Comparing commercial gas and business gas prices doesn’t have to be complicated, particularly if you use an independent expert such as Catalyst to guide you through the process. (more…)

Oil prices plunged in a busy trading session on Friday, triggering big losses across the commodities markets, as investors went back to buying into the US dollar.  Crude oil prices did have a partial recovery, with March US Light oil futures contract settling at $71.19 a barrel on the NYMEX, down 2.7%, while in London, Brent crude oil futures for March delivery dropped to close trading at $69.59 per barrel on ther ICE Futures Exchange. (more…)

The era of the ‘on-all-night’ illuminated high street could end, the Environment Agency is predicting. The agency says new rules will force businesses to switch off lights and displays at night to meet new limits. The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) scheme requires businesses to cut consumption or face stiff fines. (more…)

Bglobal Plc said it has signed a new agreement to supply and install smart meters for British Gas Business during 2010. The contract value is anticipated at more than £12 million. In addition, the company said it will provide new data services, delivering recurring revenues of more than £1 million per annum. (more…)

Dual Energy Direct is a new energy company serving Non-Domestic premises throughout Great Britain launching early 2010. They aim to bring customers an end to estimated bills, better service & realistic pricing through the installation of smart meters.

http://www.dual-energy.co.uk/
 

The UK’s renewable energy industry today offered a cautious welcome to the announcement of the final version of the government’s Clean Energy Cashback, arguing that it will provide a boost to domestic energy generation but still does not go far enough to support businesses keen to install renewable energy systems.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) today announced the so-called feed-in tariffs that will be available to businesses and households that install renewable energy systems from 1 April. Under the feed-in tariff scheme, households and businesses that install renewable energy systems will receive money from their energy supplier based on how much energy they generate, providing a further incentive to invest in technologies such as micro wind turbines and solar panels. (more…)

Despite evidence that the UK economy is now out of recession, npower is warning that out of date financial records could prolong financial instability for many UK businesses. This is likely to impact credit ratings, reducing businesses’ access to finance and essential supplies, like energy.  Companies House records can be anything from 12 to 18 months out of date, which means that a company’s financial viability will be judged on its performance mid-recession, irrespective of how well it is doing now. Major credit rating agencies typically use these statutory accounts to assess financial health and, despite the scale of the problem, a large number of businesses have a lack of understanding on how their credit rating can impact their business energy requirments. (more…)