A recent report published by Ofgem further highlights how leading energy suppliers have reaped huge profits despite falling wholesale fuel prices. In light of the freezing weather that has continued to affect Britain throughout February, the failure by all but one of the so-called ‘big six’ energy companies, which comprise British Gas, E.ON, EDF, nPower and Scottish Power, to lower their domestic fuel bills has caused concern and attracted disapproval from Ofgem and the UK Government.

Although British Gas has moved to reduce its domestic gas prices, it is feared prices will soon return to peak levels and beyond. The unfortunate combination of inflated domestic energy bills and the coldest weather experienced by Britain in 30 years has led to increased fears fuel poverty will strike yet more households across the country.

According to Ofgem, the leading energy companies are making an average profit of £105 per year from every dual-fuel customer – a figure that has increased by 40% over the past three months. Although most of the big six energy companies can hide their UK profits in international business, British Gas is expected to reveal profits of more than £500 million later this week. Once again, it would appear all of the costs and none of the savings are being passed on to consumers. Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, has entered the discussion by stating: “Ofgem’s report shows energy companies need to cut their prices. British Gas’ recent cut was a welcome first move, but we need to see all suppliers passing on the full benefits of lower wholesale prices”.

Liberal Democrats energy spokesman, Simon Hughes, said: “Energy companies clobbered households even as they struggled through the cold snap. Cynical price cuts now won’t disguise bumper profits made on the back of grossly unfair fuel bills. Firms should be forced to show how much profit they make on every pound they charge at the bottom of every fuel bill”. Michelle Mitchell of Age Concern and Help the Aged added: “The increase in energy companies’ profit margins comes at a time when many older households are worrying about how to pay costly post-freeze heating bills”.

British Gas are offering their customers the chance to take advantage of one months free Homecare Cover, if they sign up to the scheme before the 31st December 2009. There are several different Homecare plans to choose from – suiting all budgets and needs.

As the weather turns inevitably colder we all live in fear of our boilers breaking down and are all fully aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and therefore, the importance of a yearly boiler check. However, with so many other bills to pay, this necessity can easily find itself continuously being slipped into the pile of ‘deal with next pay cheque’ chores. British Gas Homecare Cover, offers customers the chance to spread the cost of an annual checkup, as well as including cover for any problems that may occur within the year.

Choose from four different Homecare cover plans, ranging in price and benefits from £13 per month to £29 per month. You can choose just to have cover for your boiler and its controls (Homecare Cover 100), or choose the top package (Homecare 400) which covers your boiler and its controls, your central heating, plumbing and drains and your home electrics as well.

Packages include unlimited call outs from Gas Safe Registered engineers. Indeed, since British Gas have access to nearly seven thousand Gas Safe Engineers, you are sure to have the job done promptly! You can also choose from a fixed fee, or non fixed fee coverage. Fixed Fee Coverage will mean you have to pay the first £50 of the repair, whereas full coverage includes parts and labour.

Simply contact British Gas before the 31st December 2009 to start your coverage, or visit their website for full details, terms and conditions.

E.ON has recently launched its Watt Watchers 2009 competition. Whilst this is clearly a pun on the popular calorie-busting programme, it is not inappropriate. In fact, Watt Watchers 2009 is remarkably similar to the aforementioned weight loss group as it encourages users to reduce their excessive consumption in order to slim down. More specifically, the person who sheds the most watts by using less electricity and gas wins a prize.

Indeed, Watt Watchers 2009 will reward the winner with a £1,000 cash prize whilst five other top-performing members or entrants will each receive £200. These prizes offer energy users great incentives to cut down on their electricity and gas consumption. Furthermore, those who do not win will still be able to enjoy the reduced energy bills that are associated with lower energy usage, so anybody who takes the competition seriously is almost guaranteed to benefit.

The driving force behind the competition is E.ON’s belief that energy consumers must become more aware of their usage habits. In particular, excessive or wasteful energy use must be cut down to provide a greener environment for everyone. Moreover, energy prices have long been derided by customers as unaffordable, yet by offering consumers the chance to explore ways in which energy can be saved, E.ON is helping to address one of the root causes of the problem. Indeed, it is believed that hundreds of pounds can be saved on average domestic energy bills if simple steps such as turning off standby lights are adopted. The competition ends on the 28th August and follows on from a successful 2008 campaign, in which the winner reduced consumption by 57%.

The BBC reports that thousands of people are will become susceptible to ‘fuel poverty’ in the coming years. The report, carried out by The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG), claims that more than four million people in the UK are already living in ‘fuel poverty’, and that the situation is going to get much worse.

Rising unemployment (set to reach three million shortly), in combination with rising energy prices (which have risen over 125% in the last five years), are thought to be the presiding conditions contributing to a ‘fuel poverty’ situation.

But, what are the government planning to do about it? Well, ‘fuel poverty’, is defined as having to spend more than ten percent of your income on energy bills, so obviously those on low income are highest at risk. But, the credit crunch has taken its toll on everyone, so the FPAG (fuel poverty advisory group) has urged the government to develop schemes to eradicate ‘fuel poverty’ within seven years.

However, the government says it has already spent over 20 billion on policies and programmes to help those who are in ‘fuel poverty’, since 2000, and that has still left many millions still classified as ‘fuel poor’!

Suggested courses of action for the government to take, as indicated by the FPAG, are ’social tariffs’, restrictions on over charging on pre-payment meters, and clean energy cash back schemes. It is hoped these ideas will help people who are most vulnerable. However, we all know that the price of fuel does not come down as quick as it goes up. A majority of people are still struggling with the increases in gas and electric prices in the last year, which still remains to be rectified.

If you live in England and your home is not properly insulated or your boiler and heating system is not as good as it should be, the Warm Front Scheme may be just what you need. With heating costs on the rise, it could save you a lot of money and at the same time give you a warmer home, there are a range heating grants and rebates. If you’re not eligble for a WarmFront grant then you may qualify for a rebate and could save you £300.

If you don’t qualify for a grant because you do not receive one of the listed benefits, you may be entitled to a £300 rebate instead. This rebate can be put towards the cost of installing or repairing central heating. You are eligible for a rebate if you:

own your own home or rent from a private landlord and are aged 60 or over and have no central heating or it is not working. You can find out your entitlement by applying to the Warm Front Scheme manager, EAGA, on 0800 3162805.

How the Scheme Operates

• If you are entitled to a rebate, you will be sent a letter and voucher/claim form. You will also be provided with a list of six registered installers in your area who can do the work. The rebate is only valid for three months from the date of the letter and so the work needs to be completed within that period. If the voucher is not used within the time, you can reapply but there is no guarantee that the offer will still be available.
• Contact one or more of the installers and arrange a visit. Note that:

you should always arrange a visit from at least two installers, possibly more, so that you can compare what they are offering and the costs; this will enable you to make a proper choice.

the rebate can only be used with installers who are registered with EAGA; these installers will be approved by Gas Safe, NICEIC and OFTEC and so will be qualified to handle the installation or repair.

• Each installer will carry out a technical survey and provide a quotation for the work.
• Go through the quotations and select the installer you prefer based on what they are offering and the price to be charged.
• Contact the selected installer and arrange for the work to be done.
• On completion of the work, the installer will give you an invoice. This should be for the quoted value of the work less the £300 rebate.
• If you are not satisfied with what has been done, contact the installer to get the matter put right. Do not hand over the voucher/claim form until you are satisfied.
• If you are happy with the work, pay the amount due and hand over the signed voucher/claim form so that the installer can claim the rebate value.
• EAGA may check the installation to verify that you are satisfied and the work has been done properly. This ensures that the registered installers are operating to the required standard.

Watchdog Consumer Focus has released a report stating that energy companies are withholding £1.6bn worth of savings from their customers. Widely reported all over the media when the story broke on 25th June, the Watchdog Consumer Focus report states that energy companies have failed to act to bring consumers household energy bills down, in-line with recent reductions of wholesale prices.

Households saw their energy bills rise last year by over 40% in price, brought upon by the rising cost of oil. And, although energy companies were quick off the mark to increase prices, they have failed to be so speedy in reducing end user costs, despite their savings. The report suggests that gas is being charged at over 7% more than it should, and customers are being overcharged by more than 3% for their electricity, resulting in an estimated £74 annual cost to the consumer.

Gerry Felgate, the Chief Executive of Energy Retail Association, came out in defence of the ‘big six’ energy supply companies, saying that the watchdog group had miscalculated. Mr Felgate argues that energy prices are calculated on more than just end user consumption, and factors such as transportation of gas and power, and the government costs relating towards carbon emissions, all contributed to overall expenditure.

End users were warned by Uswitch.com, that if energy prices continue to rise at the same rate, by 2020, households could be expected to pay nearly £5000 a year on gas and electric! In the mean time, consumers are encouraged to visit the Uswitch website, to see if they could be getting a better deal.

A check-list for an ideal renewable energy source may go a little bit like this… Source must not require soil, not need fresh water, be space efficient, absorb CO2 and should create own energy from the sun… Well, the Renewable Energy World Magazine says that all those boxes on the renewable energy source check-list can now be ticked, all thanks to advances in Algae bio-fuel development.

When companies such as Bill Gates, Cascade Investment LLC, conjure up over 100 million dollars worth of investment, then you know that this is a bio-fuel with a future. And when you start number crunching, and realise that this little single-celled plant produces energy at twenty times the rate of corn and soy, you realise why the renewable energy community is getting excited.

Indeed, so convinced of its virtue, the Renewable Energy World Magazine tells us that the European Union is investing 2.7 billion Euros, over the next seven years, in algae bio-fuel development research and production.

We all know that oil resources are becoming harder to extract and refine, and that because of this, oil prices will continue to rise, until oil literally runs out, so the race for the next generation of clean, accessible, renewable energy is more important than ever. It seems inevitable that renewable energy will only come when commercial viability is an option, and as we are seeing large corporations investing in algae, then it seems more likely that this will become the next bio-fuel to replace corn and soy.

Dubbed ‘Green Crude’, San Diego based company Sapphire Energy, aims to produce 10,000 barrels of algae bio-fuel within five years.

Trading since 1935, Baxi are seen as one of the market leaders with their dedication to innovation and development in the heating industry. Baxi boast a range of Combi, Heat Only, System and Back boiler systems. Most notably though would be their efforts with regards to the environment with an exciting range of Biomass solid fuel boilers which use pellets and wood.

With over 90% energy efficiency and a SEDBUK (Government energy efficiency system) grading of ‘A’, the majority of the Baxi boiler range are seen as attractive where the reduction of consumer bills are concerned particularly with their Heat Only boilers. The Baxi Solo HE remains to be the only single Heat Only boiler manufactured by Baxi and comes with a free 2 year manufacture warranty.

Baxi’s range of Combi boilers have also received acclaim with the Duo-tec Combi HE, winning the ‘Which?’ magazine best buy out of 34 boilers tested. The Duo Tec Combi comes with an attractive 2 year parts AND labour warranty. The most expensive Baxi Combi boiler is the Platinum Combi HE which comes with a five year warranty. At the other end of the scale is the Combi 105 which comes in at a lower retail price and a SEDBUK grade B to match.

Baxi also boast fitting their Bermuda range of back boilers in 9 out of 10 homes nationally. Despite not being the most poplar method of central heating, Baxi have sold over five million since production of the Bermuda range began.

The last thing you want when you have a plumbing job that needs doing is to hire the services of cowboy plumbers. These dishonest tradesmen regularly pass themselves off as reputable plumbers but then go on to provide sub-standard work for the price you pay. So how do you tell who is honest and who is the cowboy? The following 10 point guide will hopefully help you to decide:

1. Reputable plumbers will be able to provide credentials and certificates if you ask for them. They may also show that they are members of the trade association ‘Institute of Plumbers’. There is no law to say that plumbers have to be members of the association, however, those that take pride in their work as honest plumbers will almost certainly have membership.
2. When you ask for a written quotation, honest plumbers won’t have a problem providing one but cowboy plumbers may only offer a verbal quote or a scribbled note with some figures written on it and in these cases you should avoid using their services.
3. You should also ask to see their Certificate of Public Liability Insurance. Any plumber without this type of insurance is sure to be a cowboy plumber.
4. Most reputable plumbers will also be able to supply the names, addresses and phone numbers of past customers that are willing to vouch for the quality of their work. Cowboy plumbers on the other hand will probably make excuses why they can’t provide suitable references.
5. Most tradesmen today, and this includes plumbers, offer a standard contract that guarantees the work they do in return for the agreed payment. Cowboy plumbers almost certainly won’t offer this extra service which means their work will in no way be guaranteed should something go wrong with it later on.
6. Along with the standard contract, honest plumbers will also offer some form of insurance-backed warranty on the work that they do.
7. Quality plumbers are normally booked up for weeks or even months in advance. This means that if a plumber says he can start tomorrow then he probably isn’t the kind of plumber that people recommend or return to for a second time.
8. Good plumbers are often recommended by customers to their friends and family whereas cowboy plumbers aren’t. If someone you know recommends a plumber by name then he is probably worth taking a look at.
9. When having plumbing work done, you shouldn’t be asked to pay anything in advance. If you are asked for payment up front then the plumber is probably a cowboy. The same goes if they ask for payment in cash and don’t offer a receipt for the money.
10. Legitimate plumbers will be able to provide you with a business or home address and a land line phone number as well as their mobile number. If they can’t provide this information then you should look elsewhere.

Conclusion

With a bit of common sense and forethought it is quite easy to spot cowboy plumbers. Saying this, thousands of people fall prey to them every year and so it is advisable to use a recommended plumber before you go searching through the local phone book for one.