Chris Baker

What really pushes up energy prices

chrisbaker — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:15:23 +0000

If you’re fed up with rising energy bills, there was yet more bad news today. A report in the Telegraph reveals that the government’s energy policies will boost energy bills by a further 30% over the next decade.

The only positive thing one can say about this rise is that at least it’s clear why this price rise will happen. Often energy prices rise for seemingly no rhyme or reason, so we thought we’d do some research on what lies behind most energy price rises….

Read the rest of the Yahoo! Finance article here…..

Energy industry regulator Ofgem has stepped up its investigation into how the top UK energy suppliers make their profits

chrisbaker — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:01:17 +0000

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) has hired forensic accountants BDO to scrutinise how the top UK energy suppliers make their profit.

BDO will look at the trading profits, wholesale prices and hedging practices at British Gas, E.ON Energy, EDF Energy, Npower, Scottish & Southern Energy and Scottish Power.

The involvement of BDO follows Ofgem’s key market review, published earlier this year, which found signs that the big six suppliers increased bills when wholesale prices rose faster than when lowering them.

Read the rest of the article from utilitiessavings.co.uk here….

Electricity & Gas Wholesale Market Movements

chrisbaker — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:25:22 +0000

For a graphical depiction of Wholesale electricity market movements 2008-2011 please click below:

2011.07Auditel Electricity Graph

For a graphical depiction of Wholesale gas market movements 2006-2011 please click below:

2011.07Auditel Gas Graph

Five green taxes on industry to raise electricity price by up to 58pc

chrisbaker — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:33:05 +0000

The Government has acknowledged it will have to prop up struggling British industry hit by five green taxes that are forecast to add between 7pc and 58pc to electricity prices.

Businesses are facing huge uncertainty after the Government’s new forecasts, which show a wide range of possible price increases in different scenarios.

Read the full Telegraph.co.uk article here……

Carphone Warehouse : People are clueless about data-roaming costs

chrisbaker — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:20:54 +0000

Only one in 10 people check their network’s data-roaming charges or activate cheaper bundles of megabytes before going on holiday, the phone retailer Carphone Warehouse has found.

Read the full ZDNet article here….

Foreign firms focus on cutting back costs

chrisbaker — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:31:31 +0000

COST reduction, taxation and future funding are the main concerns for foreign-owned firms in Wales.

An analysis of the business concerns of inward investment companies in Wales has been carried out by business advisory firm Deloitte.

Read the walesonline article here….

Rising energy costs fuel concern

chrisbaker — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:10:19 +0000

RISING energy costs are of greater concern to manufacturers than labour costs, falling consumer spend and the administrative burden of regulation, according to a survey by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Energy prices ‘could at least double’ over the next decade

chrisbaker — Fri, 20 May 2011 10:16:50 +0000

Energy prices could more than double over the next decade, a Welsh economist has warned, as fears were raised of a fresh round of price hikes this year.

British Gas owner Centrica yesterday said the wholesale price of gas and power for delivery next winter is around 25% higher than last year, but the price paid by households has yet to reflect this higher price.

Thousands of small businesses face backdated energy bills

chrisbaker — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:53:08 +0000

Consumer Focus, the watchdog, says 40% of its small business complaints are about backdated bills.

Thousands of small businesses are being charged backdated bills by energy companies discovering they have been under charging for years, a consumer group has warned.

Read the full Telegraph article here……

Ofgem to tackle ‘complex and unfair energy bills’

chrisbaker — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:47:40 +0000

Regulator Ofgem has told energy firms they must offer simpler tariffs to help consumers compare prices.

The regulator said that customers were “bamboozled” by a complex system of tariffs, which have increased from 180 to more than 300 since 2008.

Read the full BBC article here……..