How to get FREE LED Lighting for your business

Without exception every business that we’re talking to right now, irrespective of size or industry has one major issue – how to save money.  They all need to cut costs quickly but not necessarily by taking such drastic measures as making redundancies or closures.  Many are finding that their profit margins are being reduced, payment terms on credit being cut and the banks not lending.  They need to adapt to these issues without damaging the reputation of their business.

A second key issue that is becoming increasingly dominant in the business sector is that of companies cutting their Carbon Footprint and incorporating Green policies.  Like it or not all businesses will have to start embracing Green methodologies and if you’re not already you will eventually have to.  The positive is that many Green policies can make a significant and positive impact on your business both in terms of cash savings and your credibility.

We provide a business solution that successfully combines immediate cost savings with Green policies.  It’s a simple process of replacing your businesses existing light bulbs with new, environmentally friendly LED lights.  Furthermore, we can help you to apply for a zero rate loan from The Carbon Trust to cover the cost of the new lights.  The result – immediate cost savings, no financial outlay and a significantly reduced Carbon Footprint, LED lighting for free.

In conjunction with our LED lighting specialists, we recently fitted 212, energy efficient LED bulbs for a manufacturing company.  As part of the process we also helped our client to secure an interest free loan from The Carbon Trust.  This enabled them to spread the cost over three years without any capital outlay and be cash positive from day one.

We carried out the implementation in just 3 days.  As a result our client has considerably reduced their Carbon Footprint and is enjoying considerable savings on their energy bills at the same time.  By simply replacing their old light bulbs with our new energy efficient ones, the company is benefitting from  an 80% reduction in lighting costs saving them over £14,000 in their energy bills and a further £2,400  in maintenance costs in year one alone.

With the added benefit of an interest free loan from the Carbon Trust, they will become cash positive by £12,800 by end of year one with the additional tax breaks currently available.  Furthermore, the new lighting is of a superior quality improving the working environment for staff.

In addition to this we set the customer up to receive a monthly energy report showing the companies energy consumption, and allowing them to monitor their overall energy consumption on site.

We can help your business enjoy similar savings and reduce your Carbon Footprint at the same time.

Businesses seeking further advice about switching to environmentally friendly Commercial LED Lighting and applying for a Carbon Trust loan should contact us directly for an initial discussion or call us on 0870 710 7560.

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Why are gas prices going up?

There are a number of reasons why business gas prices are going up, but the main underlying reason why consumers are facing an increase is that the cost of production or purchase of gas is increasing for the suppliers themselves.

The UK gas supply has become increasingly dependent on imported gas over the years, and after the North Sea output reduced by a large amount last year, our suppliers have had to purchase an even higher percentage of their supply from other countries.

Due to this, wholesale gas supply is becoming increasingly expensive.  In fact, the recent increase in wholesale gas prices has been as high as 45%, which has made it very difficult for suppliers to maintain low prices for their consumers.

You would probably ask, why is imported gas so expensive? For one, importing gas from another country means you have to transport gas across a much longer distance.  This significantly increases the cost for our suppliers.

In addition to such common challenges, there are also dynamic changes such as a fluctuation in the output of our exporters, which can cause the overall prices to rise.   For example, our most important exporters, Qatar and Norway, have recently started maintenance programmes for their refineries, which has caused those refineries to shut down until the maintenance is complete.  This has caused a major decrease in the total gas available for export in these countries, consequently driving up wholesale gas prices for us.

Lastly, the consumption of gas during different seasons varies, and reaches its peak during winters.  Anticipating this increase in demand, the suppliers have begun to start storing additional gas supplys – which at present is available at the current market rates.

Quite naturally, when the time comes to supply this gas in the winter, the suppliers will charge consumers a higher rate to maintain their margins, regardless of what the current market conditions are at the time.

Therefore, even if the wholesale gas price drops in winter, we will only see a change in the future prices for delivery.

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Why Use LPG Gas for Business?

LPG gas, short for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, is an effective energy alternative for businesses for a number of reasons. It offers a variety of uses, from cooking to heating, at costs that are lower than those associated with many other energy sources. Moreover, its eco-friendly qualities also make it highly desirable, especially at a time when an increasing number of people are becoming aware of environmental concerns.

LPG is usually made of either propane, butane, or a combination of both, and each has its own specific properties and usages, especially for business. The one common factor amongst all available types of LPG is that it is a very clean fuel that produces barely any smoke – in fact, it is much cleaner than petrol or diesel. This also explains why it is widely used as fuel for vehicles.

In the short term, the biggest benefit a business can derive from the usage of LPG is in terms of cost.  Business LPG Gas in the UK is priced at approximately half of what petrol and diesel cost. Not only is LPG much cheaper, but also helps you save on taxes related to your vehicles’ carbon footprint. In fact, there are some places that allow reduced parking rates for vehicles running on LPG.

Over the long-term, as more people switch to LPG, the pressure on the government to import other high-cost fuels is bound to decrease. This would reduce government expenditure, which in turn might result in the reduction of individual and corporate income taxes.

Apart from its use as fuel for vehicles, LPG is also commonly used as a refrigerant due to its energy efficiency lower cost as compared to other typical refrigerants. However, the benefits of using LPG as a refrigerant do not just stop at cost. LPG is a very important replacement for Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs); CFCs are primarily responsible for creating a hole in the Ozone layer.

To sum it up, LPG saves you money on fuel as well as taxes, works as a far superior substitute for nearly all contemporary fuels, and helps you be more responsible about the environment. Do you need any more reasons to start considering a switch?

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LNG Gas Shipping Prices Dropping

Imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are at their lowest level since October 2009.   LNG traders are benefiting from the lowest shipping rates in five years and the rising prices to store it on tankers and profit from it when gas prices go up in the coming months.

An analyst from the London based Drewry Shipping Consultant Ltd tells us that costs to buy an LNG cargo in Trinidad & Tobago, store it on a ship for a month and transport it to Britain costs £3.07 per million British thermal units.   If we compare with July’ delivery prices of £4.21 per million on London’s ICE Futures exchange, gas traders are having a 39%  profit margin, that is excluding import terminal and regasification expenses.

As European buyers stockpile for winter and North Sea extractions wanes, July’s UK gas prices are up 24%, which is also making LNG more viable at the moment.

Two other reasons are pushing LNG shipping prices to reach lower rates. First the number of vessels in the global fleet has increased considerably as newer vessels were introduced, and second, demand declined from South Korea and Japan, two of the world’s largest LNG importers.

“The spot charter rates are low, so storage on ships will happen and is happening,” said Keith Bainbridge, a partner at shipbrokers RS Platou LLP in London.

Last winter it costed more than £30,000 a day to transport LNG into Britain, today these shipping costs declined to £20,000 a day, the lowest price since 2005.

“Lower storage costs mean traders can lock in gains by selling into the forward U.K. market and holding cargoes until delivery.” said a shipping consultant.

“Available LNG liquefaction capacity exceeds current LNG demand by an uncomfortably large margin,” concluded an independent gas trader.

Meanwhile according to reports from Bloomberg there are about 30 liquefied natural gas tankers in the Gulf of Oman, more precisely in the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. These vessels represent about 13% of the world’s floating LNG capacity, with a combined capacity of about 135 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Qatar, the world’s biggest producer of LNG, was idling at least eight tankers in the Gulf of Oman, according to ship-tracking data from AIS Live Ltd. as of June 3rd.  The vessels have a combined capacity of 1.8 million cubic meters, enough to supply the U.K. for more than a month.

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Over 80% of Business Owners Fear Business Energy Bills Increase

A new survey carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit has revealed that over 80% of British firms expect energy and fuel prices to rise sharply and almost 50% have great concern that the UK could face serious business energy shortages within five years.

The survey interviewed more than 210 executives of various sectors and despite fears of a sharp increase in their business energy bills, these business owners also demonstrated great interest in smart meter and microgeneration technologies as a means of mitigating against rising energy bills.

Seven out of 10 ten firms stated that they have either deployed or are in the process of deploying smart meters in a bid to monitor and reduce their energy usage.  Interest in microgeneration technologies is also growing at a fast pace specially after the recent introduction of the government’s feed-in tariff incentive scheme, more to that on a future post.

Although only 13% of respondents said that their company currently uses microgeneration systems such as solar panels or small-scale wind turbines, 42% said they have plans in place to deploy the technology.

Moreover, nine out of 10 respondents said they have a concrete energy efficiency target in place for this year, with the majority planning sizeable improvements of up to 10%.

To help businesses across the land enhance their energy efficiency even further and reduce their carbon footprint, the Carbon Trust released a guide aimed to help firms measure their carbon footprint as well as help them understand where they use the most business energy and help them lower their usage, resulting in cheaper business energy bills for them.

For years now, energy consultants and energy industry experts have been pledging more investment for a better low carbon energy generation infrastructure.  If we add that to the anticipated increase in the cost of carbon through the EU carbon trading scheme and growing global energy insecurity, UK energy prices could rise well above the inflation over the next decade.

To sum things up, the survey which interviewed senior executives from the British private and public sector revealed that energy is now a major business risk for UK businesses, with more than half of those surveyed insist that the government should treat energy security as its top business priority over the next five years and those who don’t carefully rethink their business energy efficiency will be left behind.

We would like to hear your opinion now.  Should the government prioritise Britain’s energy security over other areas of the economy?

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UK Gas prices rise to a second quarter record

UK commercial gas prices are on the rise once again as European buyers drain fuel at a record pace and North Sea extraction diminishes. On the ICE Futures Exchange gas prices for next-month delivery increased 48% since the end of March.  Such rise in gas prices wasn’t seen since 2000, when prices rose 45%.

Exports to Europe through a pipeline linking Britain to Belgium jumped to the highest level in more than six years, as industries store up for winter, according to the operator Interconnector (U.K.) Ltd.  The increase follows a record 14% drop in North Sea output last year caused by dwindling reserves, Department of Energy and Climate Change data show.

“Continental buyers are able to take more gas than they were previously and that’s firming up prices,” Graham Freedman, a Senior Analyst at Wood Mackenzie Consultants Ltd.

To top things up,  fears of a potential North Sea strike made UK prompt gas price fluctuate on Wednesday.

Norwegian oil and gas workers may call a strike from Wednesday night if talks between unions and operators about pay fail, the industry association said.

Three unions notified operators this week that around 400 members at the Draugen field, operated by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB), and Gullfaks B and Gullfaks C, operated by Statoil ASA (STO), will strike if an agreement isn’t reached by midnight.

Gas for Thursday was pegged at 44.75 pence a therm, up from prices below 40p/them last week, while gas for July is at 44.55p/therm and August at 45.80p/therm, market participants said.

“These strikes could impact things but not much.  They won’t affect Norway’s gas deliveries. That is too important to the country at a strategic level,” one gas trader said.

“There is talk there was activity by a Norwegian producer on the prompt Tuesday, but within-day [gas] has been sold down as strikes would take only a small amount of gas out of the National Balancing Point,” a second UK gas trader said.

Gas Traders said liquidity in the market was low on Wednesday as many participants were away from their desks at an industry event. “Some may take the opportunity to move either way due to thin volume,” one London-based gas trader said.

Further information on the latest commercial gas prices, including charts can be found here.

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Energy Suppliers Urged to Provide More Info on Smart Meters Usage

Smart meters were created to provide customers and energy suppliers with accurate information on the amount of electricity and gas being consumed. This new generation of meters provides customers with real-time information empowering them to make choices on how much energy is used.

Despite all the savings and benefits smart meters can bring to a household or a business, few consumers understand smart grids, smart meters, and energy efficiency programs.  A recent study released by Foolproof suggests that energy suppliers should think deeply about how they can use smart meters to build relationships with their customers.

Tom Wood, a partner at Foolproof, said:  “It strikes us that while the industry gears up for the operational challenge of getting smart meters installed into UK homes, very few suppliers seem to be thinking through the relationship implications:  where’s the customer in all of this?”

In short, energy suppliers need to think and act now about how they will use smart meter data to strengthen and deepen customer relationships.  Another organisational challenge will be Customer Experience which needs to be improved quickly and become a senior discipline.

Energy suppliers as well as energy brokers across the land should find innovative ways to accelerate customer adoption and behaviour.  Those who understand and leverage the perceptions, behaviours and values of their consumers will ultimately generate the most value in the new energy era.

By presenting compelling and convenient data and values rewarding energy efficiency, energy suppliers and energy brokers alike will create competitive advantage and higher levels of consumer satisfaction.

Smart meters are expected to be installed in every home and business in the UK by 2020.   For those of you interested in reading Foolprof’s white paper on smart meters please visit:

http://www.foolproof.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Foolproof_Smart_Meters_June2010.pdf

If you would like to have a smart meter added to your current electricity account for FREE or, if your selected supplier isn’t offering this and as a value added service, we can add this for only £150 per annum.

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