Youswitch

An advice to students on energy saving

admin — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:19:48 +0000

Today�s students are environmentally conscious than ever. They can easily contribute to energy saving by following some simple procedures. These procedures will also help to reduce carbon emission.
About 500,000 students will be coming out of the schools and entering in to various universities shortly during this year. Researches by Lloyds TSB and Push.co.uk have shown that many of these students will have to take loans to the extent of L20,000 to pursue their studies. Let us see how the energy saving schemes will help these students financially as well as environmentally.

The aim is to reduce energy consumption that will result in the reduction of energy bill by following some simple guidelines as listed below:

Avoid using electric heaters that consume an inordinate amount of energy. Switch off TVs, computers, or CD players that are left �ON� when not in use. It is observed that such equipments are left �ON� thought out the year in student�s homes.

Another energy saving tip is switching �OFF� mobile phone chargers as soon as the mobile phone battery has recovered.

Purchase energy efficient light bulbs that will enable long usage with out failure as well as contribute towards energy saving.
One cane even use only the light form a mobile phone for going to bathrooms in the night�.!

Those living in private houses should ensure that the rent for the house includes the energy bill. There are prepayment meters installed in such rented houses enabling the tenant to pay for their own energy bills.

By following such simple guidelines the student can save even over L200.

Inferior Treatment to Loyal Customers

admin — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:20:07 +0000

The electricity and gas companies were privatised by the Government in UK mainly to brig down the prices by creating competition. Now companies make cheaper offer to new customers and most of the UK households have switched supplier to avail the offers.

However according to Ofgem still there are electricity customers (about 53% of the total population) who remain loyal to their old suppliers. It is now an established fact that those who move away from the old supplier for the first time are the biggest gainer.

According to reports, those customers who remain loyal to old electricity supplier are now paying at least 10% extra during the year. In their traditional areas, the old customers are charged L32 more a year by such companies. However, due to competition, the same companies offer lower tariffs to new customers outside “home” areas.

According to Ann Robinson of Uswitch almost all companies, in 10 out of 14 electricity regions, are charging cheaper than the former monopoly supplier. The long standing customers are treated as cash cows, by asking them to subscribe more than the competitive prices that are being offered to new customers in other regions.

The Government has already advised customers to switch suppliers. Now it is for the customers to act and avail the benefits.

Energy predictions that never came

admin — Sat, 26 May 2007 09:45:04 +0000

The United Kingdom�s gas and electricity controller over the winter of 2004 and 2005 reported that consumers had paid a whopping �5.2 billion more for their gas and electricity than they had the previous year. That started a trend that was predicated in 2006 to finally start to fall. Npower and Scottish and Southern had planned to reduce prices on chosen tariffs. Analyst had even predicted a comparable reduction in prices for the entire market. Sadly enough all of these predictions have failed to happen. Businesses in the united kingdom are seriously in need of some relief from the high prices on gas and electricity. When energy crisis like this face a nation there is no doubt some dire consequences that are left to deal with. If you are a resident of the United Kingdom and you are looking for some kind of relief there is an alternative. The environment friendly concerned individual can choose to switch to a green energy plan. Such plans provide energy from renewable or environmentally friendly sources. There are even some green electricity owners that you might be interested in. Not only can the use of green energy alternatives mean less pollution and reducing carbon footprints, it also helps you save a little green. In other words when it comes to dealing with the current energy crisis there are always alternative option, you just have to know where to look.

UK Gas Crisis

admin — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:54:58 +0000

Gas crisis is definitely a major issue in the UK. With North Sea gas production decreasing in the United Kingdom, the country is now a net importer of gas, getting materials from an more and more varied group of other countries. Analysts have predicted that by the soon approaching year of 2016, a whopping eighty percent of gas consumed in the United Kingdom will need to be brought in from abroad. Usually, the United Kingdom has trusted a great deal on the suppleness of its personal offshore provisions to help harmonize the supply and demand, affixed by offshore gas storage, some top shaving LNG terminals and a extremely restricted quantity of salt cavity storage. If there comes a time when confidential sector storage schemes do not come frontward on a adequate scale, then the Government might be required to offer greater economic or other bonuses to draw the needed venture into tactical storage. Thought ought to also be prearranged to changing the regulation system to ensure that enough profitable and planned storage and LNG import capacity is ready on hand to serve the needs of the increasing United Kingdom gasoline marketplace. To make sure the United Kingdom has acceptable long-standing gas supply capacities in lay, the present might be the moment in time for the Government to reconsider, and expand agreement on, the gas industry�s resulting plans and the basics of the upcoming shape of the United Kingdom gas supply system. At this point in time without some kind of plan or action of reform the countries current system will remain weak to problems at a main gas terminal and to supply issues with major gas pipelines.

Cheap Gas and Electric Solutions

admin — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:32:32 +0000

If you’re exploring for an affordable gas and electric resolution, one is to discover more and lower price suppliers in your area. The otherwise is to make your abode more fuel effective. This article will explicate some assesses that can be applied to assist at improving the electricity efficiency of your household and therefore extenuate your oil and electric bills. First set up caulk close to windows, doors, and any place you predict possible leaks entering in and out of your home. Don�t caulk close to the furnace exhaust water heater. Be sure to weather-strip close to the doors and windows of your residency decently. Enclose duct wrapping around heating and cooling ducts or purchase some mastic sealant. It is a good idea to integrate shower heads of the gas-economizing kind. Adjust the thermo regulator for the chamber at sixty eight degrees or less, and the a/c thermostat to approximately seventy eight points or mellower free-based on your own wellness and comfort level
s. When preparing your home use compress fluorescent lamps that are energy-effective. This will preserve your money on illuminating costs. Be sure to on a regular basis clean the filters out of the cooling and heating systems. Those are merely a couple of ways you can save money with your energy and electric bills.

Work Wise Week 2007 ends May 22nd

admin — Mon, 21 May 2007 21:38:24 +0000

As you might be aware of the cost of gas and electricity is becoming a huge area of concern for big businesses within the United Kingdom. A newly thought of solution was the introduction of the national work wise week of 2007; it began on the 16th of May. What exactly is Work Wise week you ask? Well work wise week is an idea for businesses to allow their employees to work from home, so that there is a reduction of congestion’s in terms of energy usage. Fuel is saved with workers not having to travel distances to go to work. The main focus of Work wise week is to help promote energy conservation to the point that it help the nations gas and electricity cost. There are also many other rewards from partaking in such a venture. The employees are able to spend time at there home in their own personal environment as opposed to being cramped in a small office or work facility. Though it may only last one week it is predicted that Work wise week is going to have a great turn around. Sadly enough the expense of many Work Wise participants will be drawing a close tomorrow as the work wise week meets its end on tomorrow may 22nd.There are many businesses that have taken part in Work Wise week. Two of the major businesses are CBI and TUC, through work wise week both companies signed an agreement pledging the wider adoption of smarter working practices across the UK, to help bring about a workplace revolution. Whether or not work wise week is something feasible or capable of creating a change, it is one step towards the right direction of changing the current fuel issues facing the United Kingdom, and that is definitely a cause worth mentioning.

Record Energy Costs in Europe

admin — Sun, 20 May 2007 20:47:40 +0000

Energy an important resource in today�s world and many times it is over looked or taken for granted. As all resources are, energy is limited and can cost a pretty penny. The United Kingdom is a country that is currently having its share of energy issues. Only a few years ago companies in the UK were paying less for energy then the other European countries. Recently the roles have reversed and there is evidence that large industrial users in the United Kingdom will and have been facing the highest gas and electricity in Europe history. Something that is a bit odd in these recent reports is that this news is very strange considering the United Kingdom is the largest producer of gas amongst the entire European Union. It is easier to accept and that the price of electricity has been on the rise, but a country that supplies gas should not have the highest cost for it. This rise in prices for gas and electricity is no doubt causing issues in terms of big business. Energy is apart
of 3% of the total cost in good manufacturing in the United Kingdom. When it comes to the use of metals and chemicals the cost of electricity and gas reaches about 10% of input costs. Problems involving such an important item as energy give way to other issues and problems. With businesses being affected by the cost of production and its potential growth being foreseen profits have become less. With a decrease in profits brings about a damper in future investment opportunities. With the fluctuating cost of manufacturing products in the UK becoming more and more of an issue, companies with foreign parents outside of the UK are looking towards changing production to places located outside of the United Kingdom

Facts about UK energy market

admin — Sun, 20 May 2007 20:22:03 +0000

The United Kingdom is the largest producer and consumer of natural gas in Western Europe. Natural gas demand in the United Kingdom has risen from 585 TWh in 1990 to its current level of 1,187 TWh in 2003, registering an annual growth rate of 5.6% since 1990. Demand is predicted to slow down to an annual rate of 1.92%, with demand growing from 1,205 TWh in 2004 to 1,351 TWh in 2010.

In the last 25 years, demand has increased in all sectors, but the most dramatic growth has been for power generation. Over the 25 year period, demand in the power generation sector has increased at an annual rate of 15.0%, but escalated in 1993 and has increased at an annual rate of 33.6% since then. For one hundred and fifty years, the gas industry was built around town gas or coke oven gas, a secondary source of energy, which came from gasworks or coking plants. Natural gas, on the other hand is a primary source of energy and as it does not have to be converted into a secondary source, there are no conversion losses. Large-scale production of natural gas started in the United States early in the last century and in 1965,the USA accounted for 68% of global natural gas consumption. By 1975, the USA accounted for 46% of global consumption, the USSR for 23% and Western Europe for 18%. The UK contains an estimated 26.0 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas reserves, most of which are in non-associated gas fields located off the English coast in the Southern Gas Basin, adjacent to the Dutch North Sea sector. The UK shares the declining Frigg field with Norway (39.18% to the UK). A division of National Grid Transco (NGT) has submitted a proposal to build the UK’s first LNG import terminal in 40 years. The UK will increase the volume of imports of natural gas from Norway within the next few years. The liberalisation of the UK gas markets started with the privatization of the state monopoly, British Gas and the establishment of the regulatory body, Ofgas (Office of Gas Supply) in 1986. In 1995, the Gas Act led to the demerger of the monopoly of British gas in the UK gas market. The Gas Act of 1996 in the UK was the first initiative in the world to open the whole gas market down to household level. During the last 30 years, the real prices of electricity and natural gas have fallen substantially in Britain, with industrial prices for gas achieving the greatest drop. In the period from 1980 to 1998, the price index of gas to industry in the UK dropped by nearly two thirds. In contrast, the prices for water supply and sewage services have risen by about 40% between 1990 and 1998, caused by the demanding EU environmental legislation.

There have been large increases in productivity in the British energy industry in the last twenty years, although there are still substantial variations between different fuels. In both electricity and gas industries there has been major down sizing with privatization and, at the same time, the output has increased. Gas is delivered to seven reception points on the coast (called beach terminals) by gas producers operating rigs in about 100 fields beneath the sea around the British Isles. Five reception points receive natural gas from the North Sea, and two from the Irish Sea. In 1998, the UK-Continent Gas Inter-connector pipeline was opened with terminals at Bacton, England and Zeebrugge, Belgium. This is the first natural gas pipeline linking the United Kingdom to the European continent. A second pipeline to connect Ireland to Scottish gas sources in the Corrib field was approved in November 1999, and a plan to connect Ireland to England via Wales was announced in April 2000. The first pipeline linking the UK and Ireland was opened in 1993.

Gas transporters (GTs) own and operate the gas transportation infrastructure in the UK. Transco is the largest gas transporter with the responsibility for operating the National Transmission System (NTS). Its

Heating with electricity

admin — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:07:16 +0000

If your present home heating system is too expensive to operate, is in poor condition, or if you are planning on buying a new home, you are probably considering your heat-ing options. About 60 per cent of the energy required to run the average home is used for space heating. Therefore, one of the most important projects you will undertake as a homeowner, besides insulating and draftproofing, is choosing, replacing or improving your heating system. A wise decision about heating can significantly reduce your heating costs while also making your home more comfortable. Some very impressive technological innovations have been made in heating systems in recent years, and there is a wide range of good equipment on the market. You will be using your new or improved heating system for along time, so it is important to do some research before deciding. It is worth taking the time to ensure that you make the best choice for your situation by first thoroughly investigating all your options. Nowadays, however, your options may be quite bewildering, because of the wide range of equipment and energy sources available.

Things we can all do

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:43:27 +0000

Minimise the area to be heated. Doubling the size o the heated area also doubles the heating cost! So close doors to unheated areas, or install curtains across ope archways leading to other rooms. Use a correctly sized heater. Don�t expect a small heater to heat a large area. It is unlikely to reach a comfortable temperature, making running costs unnecessarily high without providing adequate heat. Similarly, try not to use a large heater when only a small area needs heating. If only one small area of a centrally heated home is to be used, it may be cheape to use a portable heater for a short time, or even invest in a small space heater, than to unnecessarily heat the whole house.

Use the thermostat correctly. For every degree you increase th thermostat setting, your bill may increase by up to 15%. Set you thermostat at a reasonable temperatur of 18 � 20�C for living areas. Thermostats should be placed in living areas, where you spend most of your time. Ensure they are protected from draughts, as well as heat sources such as heating outlets or direct sunlight. Thermostats should not be located on external walls.

Don�t leave your heater running on low overnight or while you are out during the day. It is cheaper to turn the heater off while you are out or sleeping, and on again when your return or wake up in the morning. (This pattern of use is not applicable to storage type heating such as in-slab systems which have a very slow response time). Install a timer or programmable thermostat to turn your heater on and off automatically, say 20 � 30 minutes before rising in the morning or getting home in the evening. And of course, don�t forget to turn the entire system completely off if you are going away on holidays. Run the heater fan on its highest setting for best efficiency and heat distribution. Fans cost only 1 cent an hour to run. Turn off the pilot light (if fitted) over summer. This alone could save you $15 or more each year! Maintain your heater. Keep reflectors shiny and free of dust, and clean air-filters regularly. Service all heaters according to the manufacturer�s instructions. Close windows and doors in heated areas while the heater is on. Close drapes or blinds when you�re heating,