Big Fine for Companies Who Provide Inaccurate CRC Reports

Time is running out for UK organisations whose half hourly electricity consumption totals more than 6,000 MWh per year (equivalent to approximately £500,000 annual spend) and are yet to compile all data for their CRC report.

Companies covered under this Energy Efficiency Scheme must provide a carbon emission report based on their annual energy consumption by the end of July, more precisely the 31st. Those who fail to meet the deadline will face severe financial penalties.

For instance, companies who hand in their CRC reports after the deadline will have to pay a fine of £5,000, plus £500 for each day that the report is overdue.

Inaccurate reports could cause serious damage to a business’s energy bill with increases of 5 to 10 percent. For each tonne either over or under-reported the fine is £40. For example, an organisation spending £20 million on energy could expect a fine of £1 million for a 20% error. Ouch!

A more realistic example would be, an organisation with an energy bill of half a million pounds, submitted 20 days late and with a 20% error, could face a fine of £55,433 (11% extra).

Recently the consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCooper conducted a research and found that only 21% of the companies interviewed were monitoring and reporting their carbon emissions. Out of the 160 companies surveyed only 67% reported that they were CRC participants.

Henry Le Fleming, carbon reporting specialist at PwC, said, however, that many companies are unprepared for the process of collecting the data, having not “stress tested their processes, systems and controls”.

In fact, the Carbon Commitment Reduction Scheme is not a considered scheme anymore, it is a straight forward tax intended to promote energy efficiency by the country’s largest users of energy.

Companies who comply with the scheme providing accurate CRC reports will enjoy significant financial benefits in the long run, due to improved energy efficiency. If done accurately these companies could reduce energy expenditure of 10% every year.

Complete information about the CRC can be found at our Carbon Commitment Reduction page. For more details about PWC’s research visit their website at: http://www.pwc.co.uk

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Brent Crude Hits Highest Levels since Financial Crisis

Brent crude oil prices hit a 2 1/2 year high and firmed at $121.06 yesterday. Concerns of a disruption in supply due to the unrests in the Middle East and the lowest US unemployment rate in two years were the major factors for this surge in oil prices.  Last time Brent crude oil prices traded above the $120 mark was back in September 2008, right in the middle of the financial crisis. According to some analysts we have reached a “danger point” and if oil prices continue to rise global economy could suffer an inflationary shock putting global growth to a halt.

Estimates from the International Monetary Fund suggest that every $10 increase on oil prices shaves 0.2pc off world growth. Before the turmoil started in the Middle East Brent crude oil was being traded at around $98 to $100 a barrel, so with prices now at the $120 mark we can conclude that global growth will retract 4pc, based on the IMF estimates.

Over the past few days’ oil prices surged from $115 to $120. Market analysts stated that such increase was a “cumulative impact” of weeks of unrests in the Middle East, especially with military action in Libya showing no signs of an easy resolution.

Speaking to The Telegraph Paul Horsnell, head of commodities research at Barclays Capital, said:

“Oil at $120 is a psychological level and it looks like it could be a trigger number, with markets suspecting something on the supply side from Saudi Arabia or OPEC. Spare capacity is becoming more limited and there is concern about the next supply outage.”

Paul Horsnell wasn’t the only analyst questioned by The Telegraph over the surge in oil prices. In the article “Oil rises above $120: what the analysts are saying” renowned market analysts explained why Brent crude oil prices peaked.

What affects will higher Brent crude Oil Prices have in the UK economy?

So it has already doubled the Monetary Policy Committee’s 2pc target at 4pc as climbing oil prices could accelerate inflation. The Office of Budget Responsibility has already estimated an increase of 0.5 percentage points in inflation this year due to the increase in oil prices since November 2010.

Not to mention other commodities that are directly and indirectly tied to crude like energy and gas. Higher oil prices means higher energy and gas prices.

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Japan’s Disaster Impacts on the UK Energy Market

As uncertain to the future of the UK energy market, Japan’s disaster has caused even more uncertainties. Should the government stick with the nuclear energy programme? Or was what happened at Fukushima’s nuclear plant a warning that as efficient as nuclear might be, safety comes first?

Once again energy market specialists are divided into two groups. Those that believe Japan’s nuclear crisis will change global energy markets for good and those that despite knowing the risks of nuclear power plants still think the Government must not divert from its nuclear energy programme.

The events at Fukushima nuclear power station are likely to change national energy policies in nuclear countries and that includes the UK.   China has already suspended new nuclear plant approvals and those that are under construction that do not conform to safety standards must immediately cease construction.

New safety policies and other costs for new and existing nuclear power plants could turn nuclear power less economic or even uneconomic. Nuclear’s loss could be natural gas and renewable’s gain. Although it is very early to say how this will affect the British power sector potential changes should not be downplayed.

Speculative analysis shows that gas could significantly be impacted by long-term policy changes which could lead to higher gas prices.

“With gas-fired power stations normally the marginal source of generation capacity in the UK, this is likely to result in higher electricity prices.” – stated an Energy Broker.

Unfortunately the UK relies on nuclear power stations to replace coal-fired stations that will be switched off over the next decade. Even those who once described nuclear energy as a “tried, tested and failed technology”, are now advocating that Britain needs a more balanced energy strategy, in which nuclear will be crucial.

On Sunday, Chris Hune, the energy secretary, ordered the chief nuclear officer to conduct an immediate review of the safety of Britain’s nuclear power stations.

Mr Hune who once was totally against nuclear power has recently turned into a supporter for new nuclear stations. Right now there are plans for five nuclear plants to be built in the UK over the next decade. Shifting to nuclear is crucial if Britain is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Despite agreeing that the UK will need to rely on nuclear to “keep the lights on”, Mr Hune still believes the UK can meet its climate change commitments without relying too much on nuclear.

“We can do the 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050 without new nuclear, but it will require a big effort on carbon capture and storage and renewables.”

On the other hand, the Conservatives are likely to oppose any move to scale back the nuclear programme. The prime minister said that nuclear should be par of the mix.

I leave you with the questions asked in the beginning of this article – Should the government stick with the nuclear energy programme? Or was what happened at Fukushima’s nuclear plant a warning that as efficient as nuclear might be, safety comes first?

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Middle East Unrests Continue to Influence Gas Prices

UK gas prices climbed to its highest levels in more than 21 months supported by conflicts in Middle East which are pushing Brent crude oil prices close to the $120 a barrel.  On Monday Brent crude oil prices firmed at $117.40 a barrel, causing a rally in the UK gas market. Winter gas contract prices climbed to 68.50 pence per therm on Monday morning, the highest since May 2009.

Concerns about the turmoil in Libya, tensions in Saudi Arabia and rumours of the wave of anti-government protests spreading across the Middle East and North Africa, spooked the market early this week.

So far Libya has cut off only 2 percent of Europe’s gas supply but as unrests spread to countries like Oman, Yemen and Algeria, the uncertainties about future oil and gas production in these countries increase.

“The potential disruptions of gas production in countries currently under social unrest are significant,” – said an energy broker.

Higher oil costs push up some mainland European gas contracts and affect prices in the U.K. because of pipeline connections to Europe. Stronger oil also means that European gas suppliers may buy gas in the UK over the coming months as their oil hooked up prices rise in price.

Gas for summer 2011 contracts rose 1.75 pence to 59 pence and April’s climbed to 58.90 pence. Meanwhile spot gas prices were traded at 59.75 pence on Monday, up 2 pence from Friday. On Tuesday prices continued to surge hitting 60 pence per therm. At the time of writing.

Stronger gas prices means higher energy prices, baseload power for Tuesday was traded at 51 pounds per megawatt-hour. The biggest rise was seen on Winter 2011/12 contracts with increases of 2 pounds trading at 56.90 pounds per megawatt-hour. At the time of writing.

Updated

U.K. natural-gas and power contracts declined after two days of gains as crude fell and milder weather was forecast.

Gas for summer, the six months from April, lost as much as 1.55 pence, or 2.6 percent, to 58 pence a therm, according to broker prices compiled by Bloomberg. It was at 58.4 pence as of 9:25 a.m. in London. The winter contract dropped as much as 1.05 pence to 67.75 pence.

Gas for same-day delivery fell 0.9 pence to 58.9 pence.

Power for next month dropped for the first time in nine days, losing 90 pence, or 1.8 percent, to 50.10 pounds a megawatt-hour.

source: Bloomberg Businessweek

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The Importance of Hiring an Energy Broker

Every week we bring you the latest UK energy and gas prices. These prices vary on a daily basis influenced by a series of factors that we talked about in our article: “Understanding the Fluctuation of UK Gas Prices“. As professional gas and energy brokers it is our job to stay on top of the news in order to find the best deals for our clients.

Now imagine you having to do all this for your business or allocating employees that have no experience in the UK energy market, to find your organisation the best business energy and business gas prices. First you would be wasting time that could be used on other projects that matter to your business, and second these professionals wouldn’t be able to find you the best deals because they don’t have the market knowledge to do so.

That is why it is extremely important to hire independent energy brokers if you want to not only find the best energy and gas contract, but also improve the energy efficiency of your business.

Energy brokers have the market intelligence to understand and predict market conditions, therefore, finding the best contracts that will reduce costs and improve efficiency. Leaving you with the calm and tranquillity to focus on what really matters to your business.

There is nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to uncover areas for significant improvement that may not have been previously identified. Energy consultants have the advantage of working with many different organisations in various niches which make them versatile professionals capable of finding energy management solutions for just about any business.

Another factor that highlights the importance of hiring independent energy brokers is supplier relation. Here at Catalyst for instance we work on behalf of thousands of UK companies which give us a bigger bargain power when purchasing energy or gas from suppliers.

Before you ask if we were not going to bring you the latest gas and energy prices, here they are:

Gas Prices

Gas for Tuesday delivery rose 0.20 pence to 56.00 pence per therm at 1005 GMT, and day-ahead contracts gained 0.25 pence to 55.95 pence. Gas for April rose to 54.90 pence and gas for delivery next summer went up 0.05 pence and traded at 54.80 while winter gas surprisingly fell 0.15 to 64.35 pence.

Energy Prices

Day-ahead power gained 0.25 pounds on the previous session to 48.45 pounds per megawatt-hour (MWh).

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Gas Prices Rise as Middle East Unrest Continues

What started in Egypt seems to be spreading all over the Middle East. Popular revolt and political uncertainty is making investors plan for the unpredictable, as crude oil prices continues to rise, which in turn is contributing to higher gas and energy prices.

When the protests started in Egypt crude oil prices were below the $100 mark, more precisely at $98 a barrel. Last Monday the Brent crude oil barrel was traded at $108.  As UK gas prices are tied up to oil prices, prompt and curve gas prices rose too.

Prompt gas contracts for immediate and day-ahead delivery were both up nearly one penny from Monday’s close at 54.55 pence. While winter 2011 gas contract traded at 63.50 pence per therm, the highest level since October 2009.

On Tuesday morning National Grid data showed that the system was undersupplied which associated with a slightly higher increase in demand was also responsible for higher wholesale gas prices.

Since nearly 50% of UK power production uses gas as a fuel day-ahead energy prices also reported an increase of 0.75 pounds and were traded at 47.25 pounds per megawatt-hour. A drop in wind power generation also added to higher energy prices.

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Bill Gates Investing Millions to Stop Global Warming

The man who revolutionised personal computing now wants to revolutionise the way we generate energy. After stepping down as the CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates has been investing millions of dollars to fight global warming; his ultimate goal is to find an energy source completely free of CO2 emissions.

Will Bill Gates ever find a way to generate carbon-free energy? Have your say here.

For the past few years Gates has dedicated most of his time and money to projects that range from the development of high voltage batteries to machines capable of extracting CO2 from the air.

As one of the most successful business men in history his words carry enormous credibility which gives more visibility to projects that might not leave the drawing board. Above all Bill Gates is seen as a visionary and if he believes such projects could change our lives, a lot of people will sit and hear what he has to say.

According to Mr. Gates the world needs an “energy miracle”, an energy source that is reliable, cheap and carbon free. He says we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket and purse every available path to achieve this really big breakthrough.

Around the globe there are many countries generating energy from renewable energy resources that look very promising but not big enough to cause the impact needed to make a change. Tidal energy, geothermal and even wind are all good and clean energy generating resources but we need more than that.

The father of Windows is working on a new nuclear approach called travelling-wave reactor, which uses waste uranium for fuel. That dream is far from becoming a reality but if it does we could have cheaper energy with no CO2 emissions.

To sum things up Bill Gates points out two immediate solutions the American and other Governments around the globe should take note to make the transition towards a carbon free society quicker. Increase investment in research and development of new energy generating technology and a well structured energy plan that considers each option based on the likelihood of success.

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