Advice

A committee of MP’s has warned the government is set to fail its own fuel poverty reduction targets. The goal is to eradicate fuel poverty in vulnerable households in England by the end of this year; households with children, pensioners and the disabled. The longer term aim is to end it completely by 2016.

It would seem these targets are now deemed too ambitious, because the Energy and Climate Change Committee has admitted this year’s target will be missed, and the 2016 one is looking ‘increasingly difficult to hit’.

Fuel poverty is when a household is spending over 10% of its income on its gas and electricity bills. A recent report commissioned by the Committee confirmed millions of households are in fuel poverty and are worried about turning their heating on. The situation has not been helped by the rising costs of energy bills, and the record breaking cold winter.

Customers can earn money by generating their own energy with a new feed-in tariff scheme launched by the government this week. Households will get their money back from energy suppliers.

Under the new scheme, households with solar panels fitted to a certain specification could earn up to £900 a year, and that’s without including the savings they make on their gas and electricity bills.

It also extends to those generating energy using wind turbines, households with anaerobic digestion and hydroelectricity systems.

This week sees a fresh call from the Renewable Energy Association (REA) for more investment to hit the UK’s 15% renewable energy target by 2020.

With the election looming, climate change is high on political agendas, but the winning party will be crucial in achieving the target according to the REA.

Gaynor Hartnell, the REA’s Chief Executive said, ‘If we’re serious about energy security and global warming, nothing needs to change more than our energy system. The new government, of whatever colour, must redouble efforts to deliver the 2020 renewable energy target.’

Leading energy suppliers are under fire this week amidst allegations they are cashing in on the boiler scrappage scheme. The claim comes from some industry experts accusing them of quoting customers inflated new boiler prices, despite matching the £400 rebate available under the plan.

Designed to cut carbon footprints and energy bills, the boiler scrappage scheme gives households £400 towards replacing their aging boilers with new energy efficient ones. Since its launch at the beginning of the year, it has seen an uptake of over a third of its vouchers, leaving around 70,000 worth £28million available to claim.

As the government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme heads into its second week, questions have arisen about vulnerable households who may end up worse off because of it.

The doubt has arisen because under the government’s own Warm Front scheme, pensioners and those on a low income or benefits are eligible to financial assistance for buying and installing a new boiler. The maximum amount available is £3,500, and in many cases this will cover the entire cost of replacing a boiler.

The government launched its Boiler Scrappage Scheme this week where thousands of homeowners could receive £400 towards replacing their aging boilers.

Many could also see this figure double to £800 now leading energy suppliers including British Gas and nPower have confirmed their plans to match the government’s payout. With a typical new boiler installation costing around £2,500, any financial assistance will be welcomed by all households.

The scheme has been put together with the Energy Saving Trust in a bid to make inefficient G-Rated boilers a thing of the past. Households can start applying for their £400 government vouchers from as early as the 18^th January. You have to be quick though, because this £50 million scheme is available only for up to 125,000 households who own a G-Rated boiler or one that is less than 70% efficient.

Energy Efficiency Grants – The Facts.  We all want to reduce our energy bills, and improving the energy efficiency of our homes is one of the best ways to do it. To help UK households reduce their carbon emissions, energy efficiency grants are available for those that qualify.

This article covers these grants, what you need to be eligible, and how to get one. Firstly, let’s review the facts about home insulation.

Home insulation helps to retain most of the heat otherwise lost from your home. According to the Energy Saving Trust, your roof and walls account for half the heat lost in your home, and insulating them could save you around £265 a year on fuel bills. So now we have reminded ourselves of the value of home insulation, let’s talk about energy efficiency grants.

A Great Way To Manage Your Business Energy Usage

Businesses are under increasing pressure these days to improve the way they manage their energy usage. This is because of rising energy prices, and initiatives set by the government to increase their energy efficiency.

Part of the Building Regulations Act encourages businesses to accurately measure the amount of energy they use. So unless you already know what yours is, you are likely to find it difficult to get a true picture. So what can help?

Research has shown that Smart Meters are increasingly providing businesses with the answer*. This is because they give an accurate and up to date energy reading, which can be used to help control and drive the right energy efficiency behavior.

A Smart Meter will help a business to become more proactive when it comes to managing their energy usage. This is because once they know the amount they are using and how much it is costing them, they can start taking steps to reduce it and their impact on the environment.