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In these ‘Straightened Times’ the newly observed behaviour of Energy Suppliers is creating concern in many circles. Whilst there patently is an economic downturn, some behaviour can best be described as over enthusiastic. In most circumstances now all Energy Contract Renewals or Transfers are accompanied by a Credit Check on the business concerned, even when staying with your current supplier.

This new found paranoia has resulted in an exuberant application of the word ‘NO!’ . Whilst not wishing to be disparaging regarding the merits of such a process, businesses are failing, it is easy for the third party credit checking organisations to err ‘statistically on the side of caution’ and say no. continue

Smart Metering is in the news today and the BBC have produced an overview of how a smart meter works in addition to their discussion on how much you can save with a smart meter. Whilst these refer to the domestic market, there is significant relevance for the business market also.

It’s a familiar story; if you can’t measure it or see it, it can be hard to do anything about it. It seems unlikely that energy prices will reduce over time, and this combined with the focus on Carbon Reduction Commitment for all, should make this a very real issue for most businesses.

Empirical research suggests that simply monitoring consumption, improves awareness and typically consumption will fall. Thus at the most basic level smart metering will help. What Smart metering will do above and beyond the basics for business is provide, up to date accurate information about their consumption.
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Following a recent investigation, Ofgem has released a new set of guidelines for implementation this autumn designed to protect small businesses by increasing transparency in contracts and agreements with energy brokers and advisors. This will reduce many of the problems faced by small businesses in negotiating deals and clarity on knowing what rights they have as a business energy consumer therefore reducing the number of complaints and hours spent resolving disputes. These changes include:
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Energy Benchmarking is the latest buzzword in the world of energy management, carbon emissions and conservation. We are finding that increasing numbers of new and existing clients are questioning how and where they can save energy. This is where the Carbon Trust can assist. The Carbon Trust was set up by the UK Government in 2001 and is an independant company created to “accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.”

It might be worth spending some time using their Benchmarking Tool For Office Buildings – here you can make an assessment of how much energy you use in your office spaces and compare this with benchmarks produced for 4 different office types as part of the very detailed ECON 19 publication. This enables the user to flag up any potential need for change and improvement in efficient use of energy.