Thorium The Future of World Energy Generation

The world is on the verge of an energy crisis. In a recent statement the International Energy Agency said that the world must invest $26 trillion (£16.7 trillion) over the next 20 years to avert an energy shock.

For decades scientists and researchers across the globe have been looking for a sustainable solution to solve the growing global energy demand and stop the rise in energy prices. We need a proven solution to be brought into the world on a large scale, without delay!

Such solutions already exists and it has been under our noses for quite some time.  Its name is Thorium, a naturally occurring, slightly radioactive metal, capable of producing immense amount of energy, in a very safe, environmentally friendly and very economic manner.

According to Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) the use of Thorium could very well be the missing link we have all been looking for towards a sustainable low carbon energy efficient society.

Dr Rubbia says a tonne of the silvery metal produces as much energy as 200 tonnes of uranium, or 3,500,000 tonnes of coal. For a better understanding a handful of Thorium could light London for a whole week.

Thorium is abundant and clean enough to supply global energy demand for centuries. According to experts there is more energy available from thorium than all coal, gas, oil and uranium combined.

What baffles me is that fact that it was demonstrated to be reliable by its pioneers more than 40 years ago and it was simply left aside by nations like the US, Russia and China. If it had been given the attention it deserved the fears of a global energy crisis could be avoided.

Why such an efficient, abundant and affordable fuel has been hiding in the shadows of nuclear research centres around the globe is what puzzles me. But I’m not here to discuss that, I’m here to raise the awareness and campaign for the development and production of Thorium energy plants around the world from now on.

Despite being left aside for more than 40 years. Experts believe if a vast scientific and strategic resources project similar to the old Manhattan Project conducted during World War II to develop the first atomic bombs, could reinvent the global energy landscape bringing to an end our dependence on fossil fuels within three to five years.

For those of you interested in learning more about Thorium visit the International Thorium Energy Organisation (IThEO) at www.itheo.org/.  Or if you would like more information on our range of energy broker services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Want to be more energy efficient, there’s an app for that with our 10 amazing energy apps for the iPhone and iPad

There’s an app for being more energy efficient, and we have put together our ten energy apps. These iPhone and iPad apps range from offering general sustainability hints and tips to measuring your monthly energy costs. A lot of apps now focus on offering general tips and everyday actions that you can take to help save energy or measure what you use more efficiently.

1. If you need to see just how green your local area really is try AllertMe Energy Map iTunes (Free) The app will allow you to find out the average spend per household a year on energy in your area, how much electricity and gas is used and how much carbon this creates. Energy Map shows how your borough ranks against others in the UK for energy use and CO2 emissions. Compare your area with the best and worst offenders in our League Table. Even use Energy Map when you’re out and about to see how much local residents in any area spend on energy. A great tool for any energy broker is the ability to view a map of the UK showing annual energy spend per area or simply browse through all UK areas from A-Z.

2. The British Gas App iTunes (Free) allows you to easily submit your gas and electricity meter readings at any time allowing them to generate a more accurate bill. You can view your account summary with your last bill amount, payment details, see what tariff you are on and when you last submitted a meter read. You can now also view your energy consumption as a graph and compare your usage over previous months and year. The application provides a convenient guide on how to read your energy meters and emergency numbers for gas and electricity. And if you have any questions the App makes it easy to email us and we aim to respond within 24 hours.

3. With Meter Readings iTunes ($1.99) if you closely monitor your household energy/water usage and the chances are you will SAVE MONEY! This easy to use application allows you to track your household utility meters. Once you start entering meter readings, your usage, costs and savings are calculated and your usage and costs are displayed in easy to visualise graphs.

4. The Kill-O-Watts iTunes ($0.99) is an electricity costs calculator. It lets you specify the electrical properties and usage habits for each appliance to find how many kilowatts-hours it consumes and how much you pay for it on a monthly and yearly basis. Choose from more than 120 typical appliances or create new appliances based on the real ones that you own. Identify the top electricity consumers of your home. Compare the electricity consumption cost of two different brands of appliances before buying one of them. Try different usage scenarios and find possible savings. You’ll be surprise to find out how much money you can save with this little application.

5. With the MeterRead™ iTunes ($2.99) its strength is in the calculations it provides. With each reading you record, you get up-to-date stats of your energy use, including an estimate of how many kilowatt hours you’ll burn for the next 30 days. You’ll know at a glance whether your energy-saving activities are on track, or if you need to turn off a few more lights”

6. Carbon Footprint iTunes ($2.99) is an application for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows you to track fuel usage for multiple cars. By entering a few pieces of data every time you put fuel in your tank, Carbon Footprint is able to collect and calculate a number of useful statistics.

7. With the Energy Saving #1 iTunes (Free) wouldn’t it be great if you could load your iPhone’s or iPad’s battery anytime, anywhere? Energy Saving #1 presents a solar panel on your screen and gives the impression you found the ultimate way to provide energy for your iPhone! Impress your friends with this great solution for energy production. But please pay attention to this: Don’t leave your iPhone behind unattended, Don’t let your iPhone get to hot, Don’t expect your battery to be loaded this way, but you will get new energy saving tips everyday!

8. The GreenMeter iTunes ($5.99) is an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that computes your vehicle’s power and fuel usage characteristics and evaluates you’re driving to increase efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and cost, and lower your environmental impact. Results are displayed in real time, while driving, to give instantaneous feedback. Though it’s most effective on the road, you can learn from greenMeter even before you get in the car. By tipping the device forward and backward to simulate acceleration, you can see the effects of acceleration, aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance across the speed range. Then implement this knowledge on the road, by choosing an efficient cruising speed and using the built-in eco-driving displays to moderate acceleration while you drive. Thanks to a novel algorithm that computes parameters over the entire speed range, the app does not need GPS, opening usage up to all generations of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

9. The ShopGreen app iTunes ($0.99) rewards the user by calculating, logging and saving green actions taken to reduce the carbon footprint. Daily tips and great green suggestions help making the correct decisions easier. Carbon savings are tracked within the built-in Eco-Bank. Location aware specials and discounts are offered through participating green friendly companies. Increase the Eco-Bank balance to receive rewards in the form of coupons and specials.

10. The Carbon Calc iTunes (Free) is a Green House Gas (GHG) emissions calculator. If you have wondered what your contribution to global warming is, Carbon Calc is a simple calculator that lets you input your Driving, Flying, and Home energy use. Once you know your footprint, you can compare your net emissions to the US average and the world average. You can optionally offset your footprint by purchasing Carbon Credits.

If you would like more information on our range of energy broker services or would like to find out how we could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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The Biggest UK Business Energy Suppliers and their Tariffs

Choosing the right energy tariff for your business is not an easy job and it is best to leave it for the professionals, like an energy broker or a business energy consultant. With so many options available and the complexity of the UK energy market it is easy to choose the wrong business energy supplier and waste thousands of pounds each year on energy bills.

In the same way that domestic customers are free to compare prices and switch to a cheaper supplier, business customers can also choose the best deal for their needs. Below you will find a list with the major business electricity suppliers and their tariffs. This list is more like a guide and it is aimed to help you have a better understanding of how each business electricity suppliers charge business based on the amount of energy they consumer yearly.

The UK’s biggest energy suppliers, British Gas, EDF, E.ON, npower, Scottish Power, and Scottish & Southern Energy, all have tariffs designed specifically for business customers.

British Gas business electricity

British Gas (www.britishgas.co.uk), the UK’s largest energy supplier, offers two business electricity tariffs:

• Business electricity for small and medium businesses – For businesses that spend up to or less than £50,000 a year on their electricity bills. Rates are fixed for a set period, so you’ll always know what you’ll be paying each month.
• Business electricity for large businesses – For businesses that spend more than £50,000 a year on their electricity bills and/or have more than 20 sites. Choose from either fixed or flexible contracts.

British Gas supplies gas and electricity to over 950,000 businesses around the UK, and every customer has their own account manager. The account manager is responsible for arranging connections and metering services, as well as the registration and switchover process, and any billing or payment queries.

You can also opt for Green Electricity which uses energy from renewable resources, and could help reduce the amount of Climate Change Levy (CCL) your business has to pay.

EDF business electricity

French-owned energy supplier EDF (www.edfenergy.com) offers two business electricity tariffs:

• Business electricity for small and medium businesses – For businesses that spend up to or less than £30,000 a year on their electricity bills and have less than 20 sites. Prices are fixed for either one, two or three years, so you’ll always know what you’ll be paying each month. Bills are paid quarterly.
• Business electricity for large businesses – For businesses that spend more than £30,000 a year on their electricity bills and have more than 20 sites in the UK. Choose from either fixed or flexible contracts, and bills can be monthly or quarterly.

EDF has over 450,000 business customers, all benefiting from a choice of contract length, dedicated business advisers, and 2% off bills for choosing to pay by direct debit, as well as free energy efficiency advice to help cut your company’s fuel bills.

E.ON business electricity

Energy giant E.ON (www.eonenergy.com) has over 500,000 business customers and is one of the UK’s largest business energy suppliers. It has one business electricity tariff, designed for small and medium companies with less than 50 sites in the UK that use less than £100,000 worth of electricity a year. The deal offers:

• Fixed electricity prices guaranteed for the duration of your contract
• Either a one or three year contract
• A discount for paying bills by direct debit
• Free energy efficiency advice

Choosing a three year contract means you will be able to budget your energy costs for longer, protecting your business against electricity price increases for three years.

Npower business electricity

With over 300,000 business energy customers, Npower (www.npower.com) offers one business electricity tariff specifically for small and medium businesses that use less than £100,000 worth of electricity a year.

• Fixed electricity prices until 2010
• Energy efficiency advice to help lower your energy bills
• 2% discount for paying by direct debit.

Npower business customers are given a free e3 pack, which contains a free Electrisave monitor worth £79.95 (a smart meter), and all the energy efficiency tools and advice you need to reduce your energy bills by up to 25%.

Find out more about Npower’s business electricity tariff.

Scottish Power business electricity

Scottish Power (www.scottishpower.co.uk) has over 200,000 business customers and offers two business electricity tariffs:

• Business electricity for small and medium businesses – For businesses that use up to or less than 75,000kW of energy a year.
• Business electricity for large businesses – For businesses that use more than 75,000kW of energy a year.

Large businesses (with more than 25 sites) can benefit from internet invoicing, which gives customers access to up-to-date billing information whenever they want, and they can view up to 13 months’ historic data, including invoices and statements.

Scottish Power allows customers to pay in six different ways, including monthly/quarterly direct debit, using credit/debit cards and by cheque, cash or giro cheque. Businesses will receive a discount for opting to pay by direct debit.

Scottish & Southern Energy business gas

Scottish & Southern Energy has over 9 million customers in the UK. Its business customers can benefit from:

• Fixed prices for the entire contract period
• Contract packages with a variety of contract periods and payment methods to suit your business
• Experienced business energy advisers
• Local customer service centres in Scotland, England and Wales. Or the option of a visit from an experienced Business Energy Adviser to talk to you about your business energy needs.

Switching business energy suppliers can be a fast and easy process, not to mention that you could save up to 50% on your gas and energy bills. If you would like more information on our range of energy broker services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Energy Efficiency Q&A Round Two

As promised here we are with the second round of question and answers about energy efficiency. Today we will answer questions about rebound effect and negawatt, so if you want to find out the meaning of these terms keep on reading.

What does energy efficiency mean for businesses?

For a business, energy efficiency mostly applies to electrical appliances, heating equipment and everything else powered by electricity. Governments have pushed manufacturers to produce increasingly low-energy devices, such as desktop computers, televisions, refrigerators, freezers and a wide variety of electrical appliances used in each industry.

Simple energy efficiency measures at work include installing loft and wall insulation, draught-sealing windows and doors and replacing incandescent bulbs with efficient, modern CFLs and LED lights.

Cars are covered by a different energy efficiency scheme, which looks similar to the red-to-green EU Energy Label and ranks vehicles on their carbon emissions per kilometre (CO2 g/km). The most efficient modern cars emit less than CO2 100g/km, and all new cars in the EU will be required to – on average across European fleets – emit less than 130g/km by 2015. But this is content for another article, lets get back to energy efficiency.

What’s the rebound effect, and what does it mean for energy efficiency?

In 1865, William Stanley Jevons suggested that improvements in energy efficiency could result in unintended “rebound effects” – such as behavioural changes – that offset the energy savings. For example, greater fuel efficiency in cars may actually lead to motorists driving more frequently and for greater distances, cancelling out the environmental benefits of efficiency.

A report from Cambridge University earlier this year suggested that such rebound effects could cancel out 52% of anticipated energy efficiency savings by 2030.

What’s a negawatt?

The IEA suggests that energy efficiency should effectively be viewed as just another energy source, much like coal or wind power. Following the spirit of the IEA, the US scientist Amory Lovins suggested using the compound “negawatt” (negative-watt) as a unit for expressing the energy waste avoided through energy efficiency.

We have reached the end of the second of our Energy Efficiency Q&A. We would love to have a third round but for this we’ll need your help. Head to our Twitter account or Facebook Page and leave your questions there or if you prefer you can use our comments section below.

If you would like more information on our range of energy broker services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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How much electricity power do we waste at work

As a business person have you ever thought about avoiding wastage of  your electricity supply to further reduce costs? If you haven’t done so already, then you might want to ponder your thoughts on that just for a while. Electricity power is wasted in different ways, and some of them are not quite  as obvious as you think.  Here are some pointers that will give you an idea:

1) Standby Power

Standby power is usually the power consumed by electronic appliances when they are in the standby mode. While using the standby mode for devices when you don’t use them is a good idea, substituting it for a shut down can be detrimental. In order to help the device in standby mode maintain its previous state, some power is used, which increases your expenses by quite a substantial amount over the long run. Therefore, use the standby mode when you go on a coffee break, however, remember to shut the appliance down when you leave for the day.

2) Overuse of cable modems and computers

While using cable modems, you might notice that they are left switched on at all times even when they are not in use.  It is usually assumed that computers draw almost an equal amount of power in the same way as a perfectly working refrigerator, which is between 70 – 250 watts. Therefore, you might want to take a closer look at how you use this equipment to save on your energy expenses.

3) Excessively charging your equipment

Do you have the habit of leaving the phone connected to the charger throughout the night? Do you always use AC power supply when you work on your laptop? Over charging battery-run equipments will further add to your expenses, and over time, these products will start consuming more electric power to run efficiently.

One way to avoid this is to unplug the gadget from its charger once it’s charged. On the other hand, if you’re too busy all the time to do that, you might want to purchase chargers that come equipped with a system capable of halting the power supply when the equipment is fully charged.

4) Plugged in phone charges

Look under the desk in  most businesses and you will probably find a mobile phone charger that has been left plugged in with no phone on the end.  What most people don’t realise is that even without the phone plugged in, the plug is still using the same amount of power.  Therefore avoid wasting excess power by removing these from the sockets when not in use.

5) Office Computers

Because of the increased boot up time of the new windows platforms such as Windows Vista, many people choose to leave their office computers on all night and over the weekend to avoid waiting for the lengthy boot up process in the morning.  Unfortunately your modern day computer is a hive of electrical activity when not in use, and a number of computers left on, can drain serious amounts of power over the course of a year.  Avoid this by switching computers off or using software to automatically schedule your computers to shut down and power back up at the right time.  Our PC Powerdown software allows you to activate your own schedule for only £12 per PC, an investment that will easily be paid for in just a matter of months.

If you would like more information on our range of energy services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Energy Efficiency Q&A Round One

Every time we discuss the current and future state of Britain’s energy industry a certain subjects can not be avoided, such as energy efficiency, climate change, carbon footprint, green energy and few others that we will discuss in a series of two articles starting today.

So what is energy efficiency? Is energy saving the same as energy efficiency? What role does energy efficiency play in slowing climate change? Below you will find answers to all these questions.

What is energy efficiency?

Energy efficiency generally refers to achieving the same result – lighting up a house, for example – by using less energy. It can be used to describe everything from small-scale changes such as more energy-efficient refrigerators and PCs in homes right up to more efficient power stations or energy savings across a company’s supply chain.

Perhaps the most obvious example of energy efficiency is the energy-saving lightbulb. A compact fluorescent (CFL) bulb typically uses around fives times less energy than a conventional incandescent bulb, but produces the same level of illumination.

What’s the difference between energy efficiency and energy-saving?

Though the two are often used interchangeably, efficiency is just one aspect of energy-saving (sometimes called energy conservation). Energy-saving can also include, for instance, behavioural changes such as encouraging individuals to turn appliances off standby, or technologies such as automated lighting systems that only turn on when they detect movement.

How big a role does efficiency play in slowing climate change?

Alongside increased energy generation from renewable sources, it’s one of the two key strategies that governments are deploying to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The UN sees efficiency improvements as quicker and cheaper to implement than green energy, and such speed will be crucial to avoid tipping points – where dangerous runaway climate change occurs – that scientists believe may be less than a decade away.

Efficiency has a major role to play in cutting CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that improvements in efficiency alone could be responsible for 65% of the reduction in emissions from developing countries over the next 20 years. The UK’s Committee on Climate Change places energy efficiency at the heart of its recommendations for meeting the UK target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.

This is it for round one of our Energy Efficiency Q&A, hope you enjoyed it and make sure you don’t miss the second round on Friday.

Got a question you want to ask about energy efficiency? Use our comments section to do so or feel free to drop us line on Twitter or on our Facebook Page with your queries. You never know your question might be featured on the second round of our Energy Efficiency Q&A.

If you would like more information on our range of energy services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Ofgem Overhauling the UK’s Energy Regulation

Last week Ofgem, the UK’s energy industry regulator, unveiled its plans to introduce incentives for companies that develop creative solutions to reduce their business energy usage, improve energy efficiency and help them meet low carbon commitments.  Ofgem is conducting a major overhaul in the UK’s energy regulation, as part of its plans it will facilitate £32 billion of investment in low carbon networks and expand the low carbon innovation fund to encourage greater innovation across gas and electricity networks.

To give investors more security Ofgem is also studying the possibility of extending price controls for energy networks from five to eight years.

It is estimated that Britain needs £200 billion in investments over the next ten years in order to maintain renewable energy supplies at affordable prices for businesses and households alike. The £32 billion that Ofgem is putting forward to stimulate businesses to develop their own solutions to improve their energy efficiency is nothing compared to £200 billion needed, but it sure is a good start to help Britain achieve its low carbon society dream.

Alistair Buchanan, Ofgem’s chief executive, said: “If Britain’s energy networks are going to meet the challenge of delivering a low carbon economy then we need them to have innovation in their DNA.”

Meanwhile the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Ofgem are trying to accelerate the roll-out of smart domestic energy meters.

The bodies released a prospectus outlining the government’s plans to roll out smart meters to every household in the UK.

This rollout aims to provide efficiency and interoperability by simplifying and improving industry processes, including changing suppliers, as well as enabling smart grid development.

For businesses looking to gain more control over their energy expenditures the installation of a smart meter is also highly recommended, simply request it from your energy supplier or from your independent energy broker.

Smart energy meters will empower you to make choices on how much energy your business is using in real time, precise data collection solutions all aimed at putting you back in control of your costs.

If you would like more information on our smart meter services or would like to find out how this could benefit your business, simply call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a call back at time to suit.

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Choosing the right Business Gas Supplier

Ever since the energy sector was thrown open to competition and private entrepreneurs in the UK, we have seen a massive increase in the number of providers that supply gas and electricity.  This has obviously created a very vibrant market where users have tens of options to choose from and it has also put an onus on the providers to provide the best possible services to their customers for fear of losing them to the competition.

Energy switching services are a kind of company that has come to exist since the EU began deregulating the gas and electricity markets, to open them to international competition, in 1996.

While this form of growth has been great for the average consumer, it has also created a sort of problem for most business owners – a good one though. What we’re referring to is the problem of too many choices. To steal a quote from our friendly neighborhood, Spiderman, and tweak it a bit, the freedom of choice comes with a great responsibility of choose the right option for your business.

Here are a few tips to help you with this process:

Price: Isn’t this something we’re all concerned about the most? We want to cut down on our costs, and what better way to do it than to choose someone who’s services come cheaper than an alternative provider. However, that is not all.

Supply Plan: Although the cost of supply is the main consideration, it is also the trickiest. The mystery behind what is sold to you at that seemingly low cost can only be uncovered when you understand the exact plan and any other costs associated with it. Therefore, before choosing any supplier, ensure that you’ve looked into the details of the plans for all prospective suppliers.

Service Record: The price may be good, the plan may be great, but what if you don’t have a supply of gas when you need it most due to some technical trouble at your supplier’s office or just sheer negligence? That would pretty much beat the whole purpose of this exercise as it would cost you a much bigger loss than the money you may saves up on the low price of gas.

Extra perks: Say you’ve done this entire exercise and you realise that there are actually four or five suppliers that match the criteria. In that case, you might want to take a look into any extra offers or promotions that they have for you.

Lastly, if you do not wish to spend all this time doing research and trying to make the right decision, just enlist the help of an energy broker such as Catalyst and relax. We will do all the hard work for you and bring you a list of the best gas suppliers your money can buy. And we will manage the whole process for you.

Call our energy team today on 0870 710 7560 or request a business gas quote call back from us.

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Yes to Renewable and No to Nuclear – Says the Energy Secretary

Energy Secretary wants to Shield Britain’s Energy with Renewables.  Ahead of today’s Commons statement on energy policy, speaking to the Sunday Telegraph and Sky News the Energy Secretary Chris Huhne made quite clear what will be the Government’s plan to prevent Britain from suffering a power crisis.  Mr Huhne was very clear when he spoke out in favour of harnessing onshore and offshore wind power and that there won’t be any Government money to subside new nuclear power plants.

With flows of North Sea oil and gas diminishing in future years, the Energy Secretary’s intention is to strengthen Britain’s energy production by making it more independent, allowing it to withstand “shocks from the outside world” which could send prices soaring for both households and businesses.

We have to agree with Mr Huhne to a certain extent because right now, the UK imports nearly a third of its energy from unstable regions such as Russia and the Middle East.   Which we already know makes energy prices move up and down through out the year.  A 100% nationalised energy production would be virtually impossible these days but if the Government had more control over it, energy prices could become more stable.

“There is going to be a strong emphasis on the economic benefit of becoming more independent of energy imports.  The lights will not go out on my watch,” – declared Mr Huhne

It would be ideal for Britain and any other country in the world, if it could be totally self energy sufficient relying only renewable energy generation.  Even though this is a futuristic dream to say the least, Britain has got great potential to increase its renewable energy generation not only with wind power but also with wave and tidal power.

As stressed by Mr Huhne, all three technologies are in their infancy and there is room for a lot of improvement.

To date there are approximately 262 wind farms operating in the UK counting on & offshore farms. These wind farms have the capacity to power more than 2.5 million homes on ideal wind conditions.  Right now there are 27 onshore and 5 offshore wind farms under construction not to mention the 468 winds farms planned to populate Britain over the next decade or so.

Last December, figures showed proposals were under way to increase Scotland’s total from 1131 turbines to at least 3855 with nearly 1000 already given consent or under construction.

Despite the fact that the Energy Secretary stated that there won’t be any subsidy to build new nuclear plants he expects that such power station will still be built to help secure the safety of the UK’s energy generation.

We want to hear from you now. What is the best way to secure Britain’s energy generation? Nuclear or Renewables?  Share your thoughts on our comments section below.

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Business energy bills to rise due to higher gas prices.

Business energy prices as well as household energy prices are set to rise as a consequence of a 32% increase in wholesale gas prices over the past 7 months.  The forecast comes from Nera an economic consulting firm.  The company has been monitoring the UK´s wholesale gas market since January and reveals that the 32% increase in wholesale prices, will translate into higher energy bills for businesses and households across the land.

The surge is being attributed to a combination of lower Qatari liquefied natural gas imports and the fragile pipeline supply from the Norwegian North Sea.

“In the long run, it’s true, gas prices do feed into retail prices. That’s been observed over a long period. What happens is the pressure builds up and there’s a mismatch between wholesale and retail prices, then one of the companies move and the others follow.”  Explains Nera director Graham Shuttleworth.

This is despite the decline in energy prices in March, when watchdog Ofgem published a report suggesting Britain’s ‘big six’ suppliers should pass wholesale price cuts on to consumers.  Economists and energy brokers alike are now concluding that the reductions weren’t as good as they thought it would be.

Such market variations only stress even further the need for businesses to have a reliable and competent energy consultancy firm.  One that understands with perfection how the complex UK energy market works and is able to find the right business gas contracts based on the clients requirements.

Hiring an energy consultancy company simply provides an independent and fresh approaches that help businesses achieve tangible results and save money on gas and electricity bills.

To learn more about how and independent energy consultancy service can save your business thousands of pounds each year on energy bills contact Catalyst or give us a call at 0870 710 7560 and speak with a friendly UK based energy broker.

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The new generation of Smart Water Meters is upon us

To measure and control your business water consumption in real time you will need to install a smart water meter.  Also known as Automatic Meter Reading,  these devices can bring numerous benefits to your business.  The only down side to current water smart meters is that they are not as precise as an electricity smart meter, but this is about to change.

Sentec, the specialist smart metering company based in Cambridge, UK and Takahata, the precision engineering and water meter manufacturing company in Japan, are pleased to announce that the branding of their new joint venture, Aquiba (pronounced ‘Akeeba’), has been completed.

The Aquiba meter uses Sentec’s Sterling smart meter technology, applying electromagnetic sensing to create a meter with no moving parts, hence no wear or jamming.  It provides unprecedented accuracy, even at low flow rates, enabling recording of all water usage and supports novel applications including precise leak detection. The smart technology features remote readout at frequent intervals, providing vital data to help utilities measure and manage their water networks efficiently.

Tom Fryers, Commercial Director at Sentec and leading the Aquiba team, comments,  “This is an excellent partnership of two companies providing complementary skills – our Sterling water metering technology has already been proven in the market place and working with Takahata gives us the opportunity to manufacture some unique Aquiba branded products. We plan to trial with utility companies in Australia to ensure we incorporate all the smart features they need. We aim to provide utilities with a platform to build the intelligent networks that will be required in the future.”

Mr Yamamoto, CEO of Takahata Group says, “We are delighted with the progress our partnership with Sentec is making. This smart water meter and the future upgrades the technology allows opens up new, exciting markets. Aquiba smart water meters will be a valuable resource, especially in countries predicting water scarcity, where managing supplies is vital.”

Benefits of Smart Water Meters

• Return on Investment typically less than 12 months
• Billing on actual meter readings – reducing water charges
• Rapid rectification of water leaks
• Successful Monitoring and Targeting Programme reduces water consumption
• Measure site against site
• Control cost and manage future budgets

Detailed analysis of water usage can be broken down by building, department, tenant, equipment or shift.  Automatic Meter Reading determines usage over time, identifies peaks, compares sites and correlates use with the offending equipment or personnel.  It provides leak monitoring and helps leak detection and prevention.

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Nuclear Sector CEOs to question Mr Huhne about incentives and subsidies

This week will be an important week to decide the future of Britain’s energy industry, especially for the nuclear sector. On Thursday CEOs from the main energy companies will meet Chris Huhne, the Coalition’s Government Energy Secretary to urge him and consequently the Coalition Government to come up with clear incentives programme to build a new generation of nuclear power stations across the country.

The meeting will take place at the Department for Energy and Climate Change’s Nuclear Development Forum in London. As stated by Keith Parker, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association the forum will be a crucial opportunity to engage the new Government and press ahead with the new build programme and not let the Government lose momentum.

On the other hand Mr Huhne sees the forum as his “first opportunity to assure the nuclear industry that the Coalition Government is committed to enabling proposals for new nuclear build to come forward”.

It is estimated that the investment needed in infrastructure alone will be of £200bn and that is one of the main things EEF wants to assure it will be delivered by the Government.

Vicent Riaz, EDF’s Chief Executive, will be the man in charge of requesting the Government for its plans and timetable a date for the Parliament to vote on them ASAP. Mr Riaz will also be in charge of telling Mr Hune the sector wants to see an “increasing commitment from the Government” as spending by EDF and its partner Centrica increases in anticipation of the formal go ahead.

Meanwhile other CEOs will quiz, the Conservative energy minister Charles Hendry and his department’s Office for Nuclear Development about the progress on the new build programme and the assessment of the two main nuclear reactor models manufactured by Areva and Westinghouse.

With a slightly different opinion but on the same boat is Volker Becker, Chief Executive of the German Owned company RWE Npower. He thinks the UK will not get the funding needed to renew its ageing nuclear power station by simply putting a floor on the price of carbon.

Mr Beckers said that without changes to the market mechanisms to incentivise investment in renewable energy in onshore and offshore wind and biomass to be extended to all low-carbon energy, including nuclear, Britain will put its carbon reduction targets at risk.

“I want to ensure that nuclear investments take place but because of the current situation, investments either go into only gas-fired power stations or the renewable sector.” he said.

And concluded:

“The broader you can make an incentive mechanism, the more you ensure as a government that investment goes into technology that meets all the targets, whilst at the same time being the most economic decisions.”

The state of Britain’s Nuclear Power Stations

• 10 is the number of nuclear power stations operating in Britain
• 14pc is the proportion of the UK’s electricity produced by nuclear power
• Britain’s first nuclear power plant opened in 1956
• In 2009, the number of sites classified as suitable to build new power stations was 10.

What do you expect from Thursday’s forum? Will the energy companies get the incentives they want from the Mr Huhne and the Coalition Government? Have your say in our comments section.

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British Gas to donate £15 million worth of solar panels to British Schools

Last week British Gas announced an audacious scheme that will help the nation’s schools meet their carbon reduction targets through the use of solar panels.  For the first stage of the scheme British Gas will invest nothing less than £15 million in solar panels worth between £20,000 and £40,000 per school – in up to 750 schools.  This will allow each school to generate its own free, renewable energy.

The energy produced will help each school save as much as 20% on their annual electricity bills.  During a 25 year period it is estimated that the energy generated by these solar panels will create around £1.3m per year. The money will then be returned through the Government’s Clean Energy Cashback scheme.  This will be reinvested by the British Gas Energy For Tomorrow Trust, a ‘not for profit’ trust fund established by British Gas to invest in low carbon projects in the UK, which could allow more schools to benefit every year over the same period.

British Gas plans to install free solar panels in total of 1,100 schools over the next five years.  As mentioned these panels will help selected schools reduce emissions by up to 1,400 tonnes per year.  Equivalent to taking almost 400 mid-size 30mpg cars with average CO2 emissions of 3.55 tones per year off the roads.

But British Gas efforts towards helping Britain achieve its carbon commitment reductions target don’t stop there.  Together with the solar panels each school will also receive a smart meter, offering real time information for students allowing them to see the difference their solar panels are making.  To extend even further the consciousness towards a low carbon economy there will be specially created Generation Green lessons.

These lessons will help teachers engage their students in learning more about renewable energy generation and its importance to the future of a secure British energy market.  With the use of a specially designed website associated with the data provided by the smart meters, schools will be able to track their performance against others and share tips and advice.

Phil Bentley, Managing Director, British Gas, said:

“This is the biggest investment of its kind in solar technology for our nation’s schools, which will help them, cut both their carbon emissions and their electricity bills – as well as learn about renewable energy in a hands-on way.

“The electricity generated by these schools will help pay for the scheme to be extended to even more schools throughout the country, which is great news for school leaders, parents and pupils who are all looking for ways to save money during these tough economic times.”

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

“This is a very generous offer and I’m sure many schools will feel they can benefit from solar panels.  Cutting down on energy costs and reducing carbon emissions are absolutely the right thing to do. It’s a valuable lesson for pupils that we can all help to use energy sparingly, and where possible, generate it from sustainable or renewable resources.”

All schools in the UK can register for an application form at http://www.generationgreen.co.uk/ there you will also find more information about Generation Green itself and you can help your local school by donating leaves collected by switching to paperless British Gas billing or completing an energy saver’s report online.

We want to hear from you now.  What do you think of British Gas initiative? Should other energy companies follow suit to help Britain achieve its Climate Change Bill Agreements?

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How to save money with LED lighting for your business

There are many aspects of Business LED lighting that are not commonly known – aspects that make LED lights the most superior of any other contemporary type of lighting.  Here are a few of the reasons why using LED lights would be to your benefit.

LED light bulbs use up to 90% less energy than typical conventional bulbs. If your business consists of a large area that needs to remain well-lit throughout the day – or night – you can probably imagine the kind of saving it could generate for you in a short span of time.

In addition to consuming less energy, LED lighting produces less heat than regular bulbs, which can make it a lot easier for your air conditioners to cool the entire office space.  That means even more savings on your electricity bills.   To give you an idea, LED lighting can bring about a reduction of 15% on your air conditioning bill, which is quite significant.

Another very important factor that makes LED lighting ideal for both homes and offices is the longevity.  Commercial LED bulbs can typically last about 10-15 years once they’re installed.  This is quite incredible even for a small office, but it is significant in cases of a large industrial facility or a warehouse when you consider the amount of replacements and manpower that is wasted in maintaining tungsten bulbs or other forms of lighting.

The design on these lights is also more durable than standard filament bulbs so there is less likelihood of these bulbs being damaged by excessive heat or vibration.

So far, the only thing that does seem to work against LED lighting is the initial cost of purchase.   However, anyone with a calculator and an ability to do basic calculations will be able to see things in a better perspective.

Or you could qualify for free commercial led lighting as discussed in a previous post.

The kind of saving each LED bulb can bring about over its lifetime of 10 years is really unmatched and definitely way more than what you spend purchasing it.

In fact, when you do those calculations, you’ll realize that business LED lighting pays for itself soon enough considering its massive life span.

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Commercial LPG Gas Suppliers in the UK

There are a number of suppliers of commercial LPG gas in the United Kingdom today. These range from large corporations to more localised suppliers, each with their own advantages. While this is great news for consumers, it also makes it imperative for you to do a thorough research based on a number of factors before signing up with someone. Price, of course, is first and foremost, but other factors including delivery, reliability, and capacity are just as necessary.

In this post, we’ll cover a little information on some of the prominent suppliers of LPG in the UK; for a more detailed analysis for your particular requirements, sign up for our free services!

One of the largest and most recognizable names is FloGas.  This company is one of the leading suppliers in the UK and offers a combination of service and support that many smaller companies may not be able to match. Their wide range of dealers also enables businesses easy access to their products, and the versatility of LPG allows uses from heating and cooking to grain drying and industrial applications.

Another prominent supplier of LPG is Calor. This company has been around for 70 years, and through their nationwide network of distributors, they can supply LPG for above ground and underground tanks as well as cylinders. This company constantly invests in new technology and comes up with products that helps make your life easier. For example, they have come up with a telemetry system called as Think Tank, which reads the levels of your tank and automatically schedules a delivery when supplies are running low.

Energas Energy Solutions is another supplier within the UK dedicated to supplying a more personal commercial gas supply service to businesses in the areas of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and the East Midlands. They supply commercial gas for industry, agriculture, and warehousing as well. This company, while not as widely spread as the other companies, is capable of providing very reliable service to businesses in the above-mentioned regions.

There are many more suppliers that provide competitive services across a wide range of businesses, however, the most important thing to remember is that no two businesses are the same, and neither are their gas supply demands. Therefore, while one supplier may be perfect for one type of business, it may not do so well with a different one. That’s where a gas broker like Catalyst Commercial Services comes into play. We help you identify the right commercial lpg gas suppliers for your particular business requirements, and we do it for free.

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