As temperatures plummet in the UK this week, central heating systems across the country are working overtime to keep people warm. But for an alarming number of households the cold winter months means more financial misery.

Glow-worm – one of the UK’s leading boiler manufacturers – recognises the financial strain turning up the heating poses,  particularly for the most vulnerable members of society, and is offering some good to help tackle high energy bills this winter.

Cranking up the heating during the cold winter months uses the largest proportion of energy most households will use throughout the entire year, so it stands to reason that to get the best out of your hard-working boiler is needs to working to optimum performance.

“Accurately sizing a new or replacement boiler is very important.  But it’s also very important for homeowners to ensure their whole heating system is working as efficiently as possible,” explains Glow-worm’s Commercial Director, Pippa Wibberley.

“This may mean new or replacement radiators, controls, under floor heating or even investment in renewable technology,” she added.

An efficiently running system means not only will you not be wasting energy, but you won’t be wasting money either, which will help to reduce your fuel bills.

To get the most from your central heating system, Glow-worm has a few top tips, which includes:

• Programme your heating system to operate when you need it most – it’s the most efficient way to heat your home – rather than leaving it on low all day.

• Utilise systems with intelligent controls to set your heating and hot water, such as Glow-worm’s Climapro₂ wireless programmable room thermostat, which can be used as part of a heating system containing a cylinder.

•  Consider installing thermostatic radiator valves.  And if you’re not using a room, save energy – and money – by turning off the radiator valve.

• Treat your central heating system to an annual maintenance check by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

• And last but not least, remember to get your boiler serviced regularly by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

For more information about Glow-worm’s products visit www.glow-wormheating.co.uk

A survey commissioned by British Gas, one of the UK’s big six energy suppliers, has revealed that most homes in which smart meters have been installed are enjoying significant improvements to energy efficiency.

The initiative to install smart meters in homes throughout the UK attracted criticism from a committee of MPs earlier this month after it emerged that domestic energy bills would likely soar in consequence.

Chair of the committee, Margaret Hodge, claimed: “Consumers will have to pay suppliers for the costs of installing and operating smart meters through their energy bills and no transparent mechanism presently exists for ensuring that savings to the supplier are passed on”.

The survey by British Gas, however, suggests that, although energy suppliers may be reluctant to pass on direct savings to customers, smart meters are already proving their worth in households across the country.

Having installed around 400,000 smart meters in domestic and commercial properties throughout the UK, British Gas may be considered an expert in the field. After carrying out the survey on 700 smart meter users, the supplier discovered that approximately 64 per cent of households had made improvements to energy efficiency. The survey also revealed that 80 per cent of respondents had changed the way they think about energy consumption after the devices were installed.

Tom Hargreaves of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, said: “This report shows that UK energy users want smart meters and they are using them regularly to help save money and change their energy habits”.

The benefits of smart meters have been discussed in detail by the UK Government, which aims to install at least one such device in every home and business in the country by 2019 – an objective that necessitates the replacement of some 53 million existing electricity and gas meters.

Smart meters help energy users save money by highlighting areas in which savings can be made. Some electrical appliances may consume far more energy than they perhaps ought to, whilst others can be replaced with more environmentally friendly substitutes. Monitoring energy usage in graphic detail also helps shape the trends of consumers, whose adjustments can improve both energy consumption and energy efficiency around the home.

To help reduce your energy bills and improve your energy efficiency, it’s also worth considering draught proofing your house or installing cavity wall and loft insulation.

A committee of MPs has warned that an initiative to introduce smart meters to homes across the UK could end up costing domestic consumers more money unless efforts are made to regulate energy suppliers.

Casting doubt on energy suppliers’ capacity to pass on savings to consumers, the committee noted that the domestic energy market in the UK is hardly the most competitive, suggesting natural market conditions would be insufficient to protect consumers. Which? has also called for the Government to adopt a more hands-on approach to the task of rolling out smart meters to at least 80 per cent of households on the grid – a legal requirement under European Community (EC) directives.

The European Community Task Force for the Implementation of Smart Grids into the European Internal Market states that “Member states shall ensure the implementation of intelligent metering systems that shall assist the active participation of consumers in the electricity supply market in line with… the electricity and gas internal market directives”.

The MP committee has questioned whether the existing framework for implementing the directives is sufficient to “assist the active participation of consumers”. In other words, would energy savings from smart meters actually be passed on to consumers? Chair of the committee, Margaret Hodge, is uncertain.

Ms Hodge said: “Consumers will have to pay suppliers for the cost of installing and operating smart meters through their energy bills and no transparent mechanism presently exists for ensuring that savings to the supplier are passed on. The track record of energy companies to date does not inspire confidence that this will happen.

“The Government is relying on competition in the market, but, as has been previously reported by Ofgem, the energy market does not currently operate as an effective competitive market”.

Smart meters can help energy users save money by highlighting appliances and systems that consume the most electricity, thereby shaping usage habits and purchases (such as replacing an energy inefficient central heating boiler with one that uses gas and electricity more economically). If consumers are required to pay for the implementation of the EC directives, however, it is entirely possible that households will end up paying more money on energy bills in the short-term.

With the announcement that E.On is to cut their customers’ electricity bills by 6%, Scottish Power remains the last one standing to drop energy prices after EDF Energy, British Gas, npower and SSE all confirmed price cuts last week.

For E.On’s 3.7 million electricity customers, the drop will come into effect from 27 February. With no one implementing a dual fuel cut, the energy provider’s gas prices will remain unchanged.

According to E.On – now the fifth of the “Big Six” energy firms to instigate cuts to either gas or electricity tariffs – around 75% of the households it supplies will benefit from a reduction in their average annual bill of around £31.

Thanks to falling wholesale energy prices, energy companies have been facing increasing pressure to pass on reductions to customers.

“Whilst we’re pleased to pass on this recent slight fall in wholesale prices, most experts agree that global energy prices will continue their long-term rise,” commented E.On UK’s chief executive, Dr. Tony Cocker.

Dr Cocker added that as one of the UK’s largest energy providers, E.On is committed to providing financial advice and support to its millions of customers, including helping them to benefit from energy efficiency measures such as loft insulation and cavity wall insulation.

“Over the coming months we will continue to help our customers to monitor their energy use and control their bills so they become energy fit,” he added.

The cuts will take a customer’s average annual dual fuel bill to £1,159 which would make E.On’s standard tariff the third cheapest after npower and EDF Energy.

It seems Scottish Power’s customers will have to wait a little bit longer to hear whether they will be in line for similar price cuts.

Are you struggling to pay your energy bills? Are you too scared to put your central heating on? If the answer is yes, then help is at hand thanks to Big Energy Week. 

Citizens Advice, in conjunction with energy suppliers, consumer organisations and Government agencies, has today launched Big Energy Week, a campaign designed to offer money saving help and advice to consumers looking to reduce their energy bills.

To back the launch of the campaign, Citizens Advice has revealed the findings of a recent study, which claims two in five people are worried that they will not be able to pay their next energy bill. The study revealed that 43% of people fear being unable to find the funds to pay their next fuel bill, while one in two of the survey’s participants said the rising cost of their energy bills would be a strain on their finances.

Last year the charity dealt with more than 95,000 fuel debt problems. Chief executive Gillian Guy said every day they were called upon to help people who simply cannot afford to pay their fuel bills, thanks to prices hikes which put even more pressure on finances when money is already tight.

“We’re worried that some people are struggling unnecessarily because they’re not on the best deal, live in homes that hemorrhage heat or are not getting all of the financial help available to them.”

Running from 16 – 21 January, Big Energy Week aims to highlight the measures consumers can take, which will help them save money and cut back on their energy cost, including:

• Keep on top of your bills – by working out how much your spend on your fuel bills, you’ll be able to budget to cover the costs.
• Search around for the best deal – according to the CA a household could save up to £200 annually by switching suppliers
• Implement energy efficient home improvements, such as cavity wall insulation, installing a new energy efficient boiler or fitting loft insulation. Check to see if you are eligible for a grant – such as the Warm Front scheme in England – to help insulate your home.
• Other energy saving measures, such as turning your thermostat down by one degree and making sure you don’t leave appliances on standby will help to reduce your energy costs.

If you are struggling to pay for your fuel bills, contact your energy supplier straight away. They should be able to offer you affordable repayments and may even be able to offer assistance when it comes to insulating your home.

For more information please visit the Big Energy Week website

The University of Leeds has completed a two-year study into the potential benefits of creating a low carbon area in the region around the city of Leeds.

Researchers at the university have calculated how a region-wide implementation of energy-saving measures such as installing solar photovoltaic panels and establishing park-and-ride schemes might benefit the city. According to the findings of the study, substantial savings on energy bills – both domestic and commercial – could be made if sufficient investment is provided by government.

Professor Andy Gouldson of Leeds University’s Centre for Low Carbon Futures, claimed that the region of Leeds, Barnsley, York, Wakefield, Calderdale, Bradford, Craven, Kirklees, Harrogate and Selby, which has an approximate population of three million, would be able to shave £1.2 billion off its annual energy bill of £5.4 billion by implementing basic energy-saving measures, however, any such initiative would require £4.9 billion of public funding or private investment.

A more ambitious strategy to cut carbon emissions in the area was examined by the university. Costing £13.03 billion, the measures would save the region £1.71 billion in annual energy bills.

Professor Gouldson wrote: “The business case for major scale investments in energy and carbon management is very strong.

“If local government can underwrite early stage investments, as is happening in some places, then major flows of private sector investment can be secured. Investments can come from institutional investors such as pension funds, or in the near future through the Green Deal”.

The professor further noted that, despite the high levels of investment required, there were compelling “economic, social and environmental” reasons for implementing energy-saving measures at region level.

Responding to the study, Tom Riordan, the Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, wrote: “What this report demonstrates very clearly is that rather than being a ‘nice to do’, this is a ‘must do’ for an economy which wants to become more competitive”.

Implementing conventional energy-saving measures such as solar panels, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation is arguably essential at every level of society if the UK hopes to meet its obligations to cut carbon emissions. As highlighted by the University of Leeds, investing in green technology can pay off in the long-term, whilst providing hope of a better future for subsequent generations.

The so-called green deal, a scheme established by the UK Government to improve energy efficiency in homes throughout the country, is destined for failure according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).

Intended to improve the energy efficiency of 14 million homes in England and Wales, the green deal represents the means by which the coalition can honour its pledge to become the ‘greenest ever’ government. The CCC, however, believes the scheme will only be capable of reaching between two and three million homes – just 14-21 per cent of expectations.

As with so many political promises, the green deal appears to have limited mileage – far less than promised by the UK’s greenest ever government, which presumably believes that extended use of the word ‘green’ to describe policy is sufficient to hoodwink millions of downtrodden voters.

Scheduled to commence in October 2012, the green deal should enable homeowners to pay for energy efficiency improvements in the home – such as the installation of cavity wall insulation – using specialist loans, repayments for which would cost less than the energy bill savings generated by the improvements. Whilst appearing to be a good idea in theory, the green deal serves to remove energy suppliers’ legal obligation to help customers improve energy efficiency in the home.

David Kennedy, the Chief Executive of the CCC, said: “The proposal is to take away that obligation and say, ‘let’s leave it to the market’. We think there is a significant risk in leaving it to the market, as that has never worked anywhere in the world and is unlikely to happen in the UK. We are talking about the transformation of the entire building stock of this country”.

Andrew Warren, of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, was pessimistic about the UK’s chances of improving domestic energy efficiency on a large scale following the predictions made by the CCC. Mr Warren said: “There is going to be a complete collapse in the insulation market. We will see an 80 per cent drop in cavity walls being filled”.

Warren further criticised the Government after it released a national carbon budget plan that claims all cavity walls and lofts in the UK will be insulated by 2022.

People who live in rented accommodation are more likely to be trapped by high energy bills, compared to home owners reports the Citizens Advice. 

Thanks to negligent landlords failing to energy proof their rented  properties by implementing energy efficient home improvements, more and more tenants are living in homes that hemorrhage heat, leading to higher than average energy bills.

Tenants have to rely on landlords to make sure their properties are well insulated, whether it’s by installing double glazing or having cavity wall insulation and loft insulation fitted to keep the heat in.

The Citizens Advice, together with Friends of the Earth are appealing to the Government and private landlords to help tenants manage their rising energy costs, particularly in light of energy providers who have recently increased their energy tariffs across the board.

Energy efficient homes cost tenants hundreds of pounds in unnecessary wasted energy every year. Figures released by the Energy Saving Trust have revealed that some 680,000 private tenants who live in properties with an energy rating of F or G are having to pay out on average £488 annually on wasted energy.

Any property rented out in the UK currently requires an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which rates the property’s energy performance from a band A to G. These ratings help potential tenants determine how energy efficient a property is. Come 2018, new rules will come info force which will make it illegal for any landlord to rent out a property that falls below an EPC rating of band E.

Depending on their circumstances, private tenants in rented accommodation may be able to get free or heavily discounted insulation. Tenants will usually need to get written permission from the landlord for the work, but it is a win win situation for both parties. Whilst tenants benefit from a warmer home and a reduction in their energy bills, landlords will see the market value of their property increase.

Fears continue to surround the link between green energy measures and an ‘astronomical’ rise in household energy bills. However, according to a new report from the Government’s climate advisers, renewable energy will not be responsible for adding the huge amounts people seem to think.

In a report out today, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has revealed that by the end of the decade household energy bills will increase by £190. But the report has rejected continuing fears that green measures – set to be implemented as part of an overhaul of the UK’s energy system – will see bills sky rocket by astronomical proportions.

According to the analysis by the Government’s official climate change advisers, charges set to be made on future energy bills for energy efficiency schemes and renewable energy generation will contribute around £110 of the increase. However, if would be even less if home owners were to implement a range of energy efficiency home improvements, such as fitting cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. So much so, the Committee has calculated that the rise could be reduced to just £25.

With various reports doing the rounds claiming that financing low carbon investments will cause energy bills to rise by shocking figures - up to £3,000 by 2020; a huge increase up from £1,060 for an average home’s gas and electricity usage in 2010.

“There have been claims that there will be astronomical bill rises in the next decade due to low-carbon policies,” commented chief executive of the CCC, David Kennedy. ”Our analysis disproves this.”

Adding weight to the report, the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change said some campaign groups had made a “concerted effort to completely mislead the public into believing that green taxes have been the main cause of rises in fuel bills.”

Commenting on the report, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) agreed that the CCC’s analysis was correct in terms of past bill increases being primarily due to a rise in the costs of wholesale gas. The CCC found that between 2004 and 2010, electricity and gas bills rose by £455, and that a whopping 84% of this rise was down to the sky rocketing cost of gas on international markets.

An independent body, the Committee on Climate Change advises the Government on issues relating to setting and meeting carbon budgets.

To read the report in full, visit www.theccc.org.uk

At roughly the same time as Prime Minister David Cameron vetoed an EU initiative to control the finance sectors of EC member states, a report published by Adam Smith Institute and Scientific Alliance has questioned the British Government’s reliance on renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar.

That the UK Government relies so heavily on renewables will come as a surprise to many people in the country, especially those who are aware of the Coalition’s recent decision to halve the rate paid under FITs (Feed-in Tariffs). Surely no responsible government that is evidently reliant on renewable sources of energy would limit support for solar subsidies on grounds of cost whilst agreeing a £30 billion bail-out package for an economic zone from which it has been left so desperately isolated?

According to Martin Livermore, a staunch global warming sceptic who co-authored the report, the UK’s desire to convert to renewables is costing energy consumers dearly. Mr Livermore said: “For too long, we have been told that heavy investment in uneconomic renewable energy was not only necessary but would provide a secure future electricity supply.

“The facts actually show that current renewable technologies are incapable of making a major contribution to energy security and have only limited potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions”.

Energy security is an interesting topic in so far as no single source of energy is more secure than the sun, which shines constantly on planet Earth, but not always on the UK. Short of developing a technology to harness solar energy above the cloud cover, the UK would probably need to look to North Africa for a permanent source of solar electricity – and would buying solar energy from Morocco prove any more secure than buying oil from the Middle East? Mr Livermore is doubtful.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has responded to the report, claiming it “completely misses the point”. A DECC spokesperson added: “Our policies are aimed at developing a mix of energy sources here in the UK rather than relying so much on expensive fossil fuel imports”.

Households can avail of solar PV technology by installing panels on suitable rooftops – a move that can significantly reduce domestic energy bills.