Energy costs are set to rocket….

EDF has become the first of the big six energy suppliers to make this summer’s anticipated gas and electricity price increases.

Gas prices will increase by 22% and electricity by 17% for existing domestic customers from July 25th (today) onwards. The inflation busting price rises have been predictably blamed on rising wholesale costs.

It’s the second round of price increases EDF customers have had to face this year, following January’s 13% increase in gas costs and 8% rise in electricity costs.

However, with industry analysts forecasting increases of up to 60% on energy prices this summer, hopefully the price hikes aren’t going to be as severe as was once expected.

Average annual fuel bills for EDF customers will rise from £1000 to something around the £1200 mark.

For further updates, visit the news desk at EnergyChoices.

 We’re pulling rabbits out of hats…

In response to the deluge of mail we received regarding the complexity of submitting meter readings to British Gas, here at Consumer Choices we are pleased to announce we’ve cracked the code.

For the inside track on how to successfully submit a meter reading at britishgas.co.uk/meter, take a look at the latest instalment from our very own Consumer Spy, Becca Talbot.

Having liaised with British Gas itself, Becca has constructed a step by step guide to help you through the process, designed with newcomers to the world of online energy tariffs in mind.

So stop tearing your hair out, hitting your head against the wall or, worse still, thinking about reverting back to paper bills, and use Becca’s guide to take the sting out of online account handling.

The Consumer Spy - Meter Reading Made Easy

 This is the easy bit….

*UPDATE* Find out how to input your Click Energy 5 meter reading by following our guide.

It’s been drawn to my attention by many Consumer Choices subscribers that manually inputting meter readings on the British Gas site is at best confusing, and at worst virtually impossible.

Here’s a selection of the comments I’ve received:

• “I have gone to britishgas.co.uk/meter and can not find where you add the reading”

• “Need to give British Gas a meter reading, can’t find where to put it. beginning to wish I hadn’t bothered”

• “I have tried to give you my first meter reading but it seems that whoever is responsible for this website has omitted to make provision for clients to use”

• “I am trying to submit my first meter reading but cannot find a way through the minefield”

• “Come on British Gas sort out your system, I see I am not the only one having this problem”

Damning indeed, and sent in the kind of volume that suggests there is a genuine problem here.

As an E.ON customer myself, I’ve not had any first hand experience with the British Gas Click Energy 5 online account management system. If anyone does know of a direct solution to this problem, please leave a comment below.

Having had a look at the ‘your account’ area, I would strongly suggest that you log in before attempting to submit a meter reading. It should make the process a whole lot easier.

One final note, and I really hope I’m putting two and two together here and making five, but I noticed the following in the Click Energy 5 terms and conditions:

“Click Energy 5 is for customers who agree to manage their bills online and take paperless billing. We reserve the right to transfer you onto our current standard variable rates if you fail to sign up to online account management and paperless billing within the first 6 weeks of coming onto supply with us and/or signing up to the Click Energy 5 product from us.”

British Gas wouldn’t be making it deliberately hard for you to input your meter readings would they?

 Pram wheels

Toyota Prius drivers: smug champagne environmentalists, or eco-friendly innovators?

It’s a debate that’s raged since the introduction of Toyota’s ground breaking hybrid car, exacerbated by the emergence of the G-Whizz electric vehicle in recent years.

The doubters gained a foothold when it was announced the Prius is not as environmentally sensitive as most envisaged. The problem lies in the construction of Prius components, the worst culprit being the battery.

The nickel used in Prius batteries is mined and smelted at a site so ecologically stark that NASA regularly uses the area to test moon roving vehicles. Known locally as the ‘Superstack’, the plant spreads sulphur dioxide all across northern Ontario, Canada, in the form of acid rain. The battery then chalks up a series of transcontinental miles (via China, Europe, Japan and the USA) in order to be moulded into the finished article.

However, before you nod sagely and say ‘hmmm yes, I always knew that car was a con’, Toyota is staging an epic comeback.

The third generation Prius, due to be launched next year, will be part solar powered. Well, at least the air conditioning will be solar powered anyway. The solar panels will be made by Kyocera and will provide some of the two to five kilowatts used by the air conditioning system.

Is that enough to counter-balance the landscape wrecking rain cloud pumped out at the battery factory?

Of course it isn’t.

Charging up…

I think renewable energy is a fantastic thing. I personally appreciate the aesthetic beauty of wind farms, I think solar panels can really dress up a roof and I love the idea of running my car on coconut oil.

With rising energy prices and growing environmental concerns, I totally agree that we need to exhaust every possibility to maximise our use of renewable energy and especially, to harness the magnificent power of the sun.

But is it possible to get too carried away?

Channelling the sun’s energy is exactly what Japanese lingerie manufacturers Triumph have done, in an original and rather bizarre way.

Their new offering, the ‘Photovoltaic–Powered Bra’ was recently unveiled at the Tokyo Ryutsu Center in advance of the 2008 G8 Hokkaido Tokyo Summit on environmental issues.

The climate friendly undergarment consists of a green bodice with a large solar panel attached to the front (with matching green knickers of course).

Triumph claim that if exposed to the sunlight for a few hours a day, the panel is capable of generating enough electricity to power a mobile phone, ipod or other small portable device.

But alas, here is where the problem lies, in ‘exposing’ the panel. No outer garments can be worn over the bodice as the panel must be exposed to direct sunlight and this makes the design rather unpractical.

Unless you are Paris Hilton or Jodie Marsh, you probably wear clothes when you leave the house, and would thus cover the panel (as well as your dignity).

Triumph do point out that the panel is detachable, so there is ultimately no need to strip down to your underwear on your lunch hour, but then what is the point of attaching it to a bra? Why not create the photovoltaic t-shirt or jacket that would actually permit frequent usage?

Well, obviously, the bra is a publicity stunt. Triumph is known for its innovative lingerie designs which are really more a statement on world affairs than practical lady garments. Its previous creations include:    

• The “No! Shopping Bag” Bra – a lacy red number with padded cups that transforms into a reusable shopping bag, thus reducing your use of plastic carrier bags.
• The “My Chopsticks” Bra – a bra with cups designed as bowls of rice and miso soup, with a handy compartment for storing your personal chopsticks, thus reducing your use of disposable ones.
• The “Warmbiz Heated” Bra – a white faux-fur treat featuring microwaveable gel pads that can be heated and slipped into the cups, thus reducing your need for central heating.

Certainly, these are novelty bras, designed essentially for media coverage. But we cannot condemn Triumph for their marketing. No, if novelty bras are what it takes to bring energy issues to the public consciousness, then we should applaud Triumph for their original approach.

Crème with everything….

A bad week for France got worse today as EDF’s chest beating, guns blazing, all action bid for British Energy fell flat at the first hurdle.

The £10 billion bid (the concept of a ‘billion’ was actually conceived by the French way back in the fourteenth century, ironically enough) tabled at the weekend, was rejected outright by the British Energy board for registering too low on the international hard currency scale.

Add in the lacklustre, stuttering showing by the national team in Euro 2008, plus the revelation presidential squeeze Carla Bruni is prone to traffic stopping temper tantrums Naomi Campbell could only dream of throwing, and it’s really not looking good for our Gallic chums right now.

Great cameo by David Ginola in the Ladbrokes TV ad though.

So what are the implications of this rejection for EDF, and where do they stand now?

Well, it’s pretty much put the kibosh on EDF’s plans to speedily hoover up UK sites ripe for new nuclear power plants, a move integral to their stratagem of getting the jump on the other five big energy suppliers in the great nuclear race.

A timely boon for environmentalists and anti-nuclear campaigners no less, but an unwelcome obstacle to those (including government ministers) who foresee an impending energy crisis should these new nuclear plants not be built pronto.

Building nuclear power plants in super fast time; doesn’t that all sound a bit Springfield? By taking more time over the construction of these power plants, maybe the likelihood of something catastrophic happening could be significantly reduced? They’re not the sort of buildings you want to be screwing together in five minutes.

It only takes one French Homer Simpson (Hervé Simpson, naturally) to become momentarily distracted by a tasty looking brioche, and it could be la fin d’histoire for the unfortunate region of the UK in which these stations are placed (probably Bristol if the DTI list of most fancied potential nuclear power plant sites is to be believed).

So who wants a nuclear power station in their back garden? Can I get a quick show of hands please?

Don’t all shout out at once.

 Genesis? Cool.

Having turned 30 at the beginning of the year, there’s two inexplicable changes that have occurred within me between then and now which i could never have envisaged:

(1)   I’ve started really appreciating the musical dexterity and craftsmanship of U2 and Genesis. The Edge is such an amazing guitarist, and Mike Rutherford’s got some darned impressive licks too. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, and have to concede that for someone so image conscious, it’s a major concern.

(2)   All of a sudden, monitoring energy usage, and trying to keep energy bills as low as possible, has become of pivotal concern to me.

This could be due to some evolutionary, hormone driven change that occurs in a man of my calibre around this sort of age, whereby preparing for the future and potentiality of providing for (and protecting) a family becomes paramount over the concern for oneself.

On the other hand, I might have really loved Bono for ages, but just been too embarrassed to admit it.

Life is such a minefield.

However, tapping my feet to ‘Mysterious Ways’ I can live with; keeping the fuel bills down is becoming something of an impossible task.

E.ON, my ever faithful German energy supplier (and I do love the Germans, as evidenced here), has gone on the record to say fuel bills will continue to soar without let up while crude oil prices skyrocket.

The pressure to regenerate an ailing and inefficient energy network is also preventing energy suppliers from reducing premiums. The cost of building new power stations, overhauling existing power plants, and integrating renewable energy sources into the energy infrastructure will shake out at around the £100 billion mark.

It’s the energy suppliers who must foot this bill.

So what can I do?

Well, I recommend those of you out there who have an E.ON online account to get yourself the ‘Energy Tracker’ tool. It provides you with a daily breakdown of your energy usage, the results of which can prove to be startling. Take the following for example:

• Boiling a kettle uses as much energy as it takes to run a fridge for eight hours.

• The Central Air facility in my flat costs 75p an hour to run. 75p an hour.

• The hairdryer is more expensive to run than the cooker.

• Running my computer uses very little energy at all.  

In energy saving terms, the Energy Tracker has revolutionised my outlook.

With reference to my coolness rating though, it doesn’t really help. If only someone would invent a meter which illustrates how much damage listening to Genesis can do to your credibility.

Phil Collins though: what a drummer. Who needs a real kit when you’ve got electronic drum pads?

 Another one bites the dust

Ok, a quick round up of a few happenings in the world of energy that occurred during my absence last week:

(1) The FA Challenge Cup, sponsored by E.ON, was deservedly won by Portsmouth on Saturday. It finally hit home for me why E.ON has spent the best part of £35 million on sponsoring the event this year; it’s all about the final isn’t it? E.ON hoardings, E.ON blimps, E.ON giant sized foam hands, even E.ON emblazoned ribbons on the cup itself.

Did I see ‘We won this cup thanks to the power of E.ON’ type flags being waved by the victorious side, or were my eyes deceiving me? Presumably ‘We won this cup thanks to a dodgy penalty at Old Trafford and some astute dealings in the African transfer market’ didn’t fit.

(2) I’ve had a number of aggrieved npower customers write to me this week in response to this story:

npower slammed by customers

One such complainant reported being told by an npower door to door salesperson his monthly electricity bill would not exceed £40, only to receive a first quarter bill for £600!

My advice, if you’re having no luck with the customer services department of your provider, is to complain about corporate miss-selling through Energywatch (the utilities watchdog). There are two ways to do this, either tell your story to Energywatch, and they will complain on your behalf (adding credence to your complaint), or use their online ‘letter wizard’ to construct a hard hitting and concise written argument.

In fact, I’d suggest tackling both.

(3) Finally, a strange week for British Gas, who surmised the strong possibility of further price rises during high summer (a price hike that’s been anticipated within the industry for some time), then cut the cost of their Click 5 online dual fuel tariff.

Again, I like to throw in my two penneth worth, but this is a no brainer. Take advantage of the cheap energy while you can, get yourself online, and sign up for Click Energy 5. It may not last forever, but Click Energy 5 is currently the cheapest way to buy your fuel.

 Press the button marked ‘Exploitation’

Today’s post could easily have been named ‘I Love the Germans, Part Drei’, and I mention this because each time that headline gets used, a certain someone in a number 13 shirt tends to do the business for Chelsea. So for the sake of superstition, and Bolton at home, I’ll crowbar it in once more. Let’s face it, we need all the help we can get.

I don’t know how up to speed with the energy switching scene Herr Ballack actually is, but I’m sure he’s (somewhat reluctantly) been subjected to meet and greets with E.ON company bigwigs at this season’s FA Cup fixtures. The 2007/8 English FA Cup is sponsored by E.ON, and will be contested by a team from Wales, and a rudderless gaggle of journeymen from a shack on the south coast.

Having heard on the grapevine fuel prices are set to rise again this summer due to skyrocketing crude oil costs, adverse weather and strike action, it got me wondering; how much does it cost E.ON to sponsor the FA Cup?

Well, here are my findings, with a few extra gems thrown in for good measure:

FA Cup sponsored by E.ON

Cost of Sponsorship: £32 Million

Annual aid payment by E.ON to the elderly: £4.4 Million

2009 Ashes Series sponsored by npower

Cost of Sponsorship: £11 Million

Percentage of vulnerable customers on an npower social tariff: 0.02%

EDF Energy Cup, Rugby Union

Cost of Sponsorship: £8.5 Million

Percentage of annual turnover spent on elderly customers: 0.1%

Scottish and Southern, sponsors of Scottish Rugby

Cost of Sponsorship: £6 Million

Number of customers plunged into fuel poverty by last price rise: 620,000

The statistics speak for themselves and need little interpretation from me. The bottom line is this money frittered away on sponsorship and corporate jollies should be given to those in fuel poverty. End of story.

One question I will ask, does the advertising make the supplier seem more attractive to you? Does it even work?

It doesn’t affect me at all. As much as I love Association Football, I wouldn’t choose E.ON purely on the strength it sponsors the FA Cup; it’s just not part of my criteria.

Has anyone been swayed by a clever advertising campaign?

 Shiny Happy People? Not exactly…

There’s something I just can’t let pass right now, and it’s a three pronged attack.

My bugbear bleeds neatly into yesterday’s npower bashing on Times Online, and I know I wanted everyone to stay positive and concentrate on the pleasing aspects of their energy supplier, but it’s possible today’s post may degenerate into something of a rant (I’m just so complex).

I’m taking the line ‘I know that this is vitriol, no solution, spleen venting’ from REM’s magnum opus ‘Ignoreland’ as my call to arms, so forgive me. I’m so mad i could throw a yoghurt at someone, even though i haven’t been mixing sleeping tablets with alcohol, and i don’t have an ego problem.

Ok, so it’s three pronged……….

(1) npower announced a new eco-friendly initiative yesterday called the ‘Climate Cops’ scheme. Effectively, it’s a series of lectures and practical courses aimed at young students in order to make them more ecologically switched on.

The campaign is fronted by the professionally chirpy Fearne Cotton, and the gainfully unemployed Piers Morgan, with Mr Morgan choosing the winning school at the end of the twelve month course. The school judged to have applied itself most unswervingly to its chosen green project will receive a cheque for £20,000, which must be spent on improving the school’s ecological infrastructure.

I digest the press release, I believe it to be a worthy cause and, despite the recent troubles npower has experienced, I think it’s a step in the right direction. So I write a news article on this development (see the ‘Energy News’ section), and proceed to go about my business in a typically eager and dedicated fashion.

Until……..

(2) …….it’s brought to my attention around mid-afternoon npower has raised online dual fuel tariff prices by a whopping 20%. Great, thanks very much for that, I’m really glad I fought your corner.

Essentially, the Sign Online 10 tariff has been scrapped, and replaced by the new, more expensive Sign Online 11 tariff.  A quick bit of maths in the office shows the Sign Online 11 tariff is still the cheapest on the market (by £10 from British Gas Click Energy 5), so all is not lost.

Like a scratched record (and not even a good one, this is like a scratched copy of ‘How can we be lovers if we can’t be friends’ by Michael Bolton) the same reason has been trotted out for this price rise as those we heard previously this year: escalating wholesale costs and exorbitant crude oil prices.

Which would be fairly easy to stomach, if……….

(3) ……Shell and BP hadn’t announced combined first quarter profits of £7.2 billion this lunchtime.

How much money do they want? What can you even do with £7.2 billion? There aren’t enough consumables in the world to spend that amount of money on! It makes me want to throw up, and I’m not even an anarchist or especially right on.

Right, let me just take a breath for a moment.

That’s better. The BP profit represents a rise of nearly 50% on last quarter, whereas Shell can boast only a paltry 12% gain. The increase has been driven by higher petrol and diesel costs set by the companies in the light of (you guessed it) rising crude oil prices.

Just to conclude, rather than absorb some or all of the rising crude oil costs, petrol companies have elected to rip us off at the petrol pumps, and energy companies have chosen to rip us off in our own homes.

Gee, thanks. Again.

I think I’ll listen to ‘Everybody Hurts’ now, just to cheer myself up a bit.

Anyone else feel like venting?