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Modest cuts in gas and electricity prices by the Big Six energy suppliers in early January for their tariff customers have been welcomed by stakeholders. But analysts have warned that this development is unlikely to usher in a new era of shrinking bills for businesses

Avoid roll-overs

According to research carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business R...

The south-west of England is to be named as the UK's first marine energy park. The announcement will be made today by climate change minister Greg Barker during a visit to Bristol. The South ...

The government recently updated its strategy for achieving an 80% reduction in annual carbon emissions by 2050, as legislated for by the Climate Change Act 2008.

On track

Published on 1 December the updated ‘Carbon Plan’ sets out how the UK will re-design its energy policy framework in a bid to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels...

Wholesale electricity prices will rise by at least 40 per cent over the next ten years, according to a survey of leading industry figures.

More than 90% of those questioned in the survey to mark the 10th anniversary of SmartestEnergy said they believed prices in 2021 will be higher in real terms than in 2011. Fewer than one in ten respondents said they expected wholes...

Earlier this month a leading business consultancy published a report calling on energy suppliers to urgently consider the new skills they will require to remain competitive in the market after smart meters are rolled-out.

The ‘Rise of the Smart Customers’ report, was published on 4 October. It warned that, if the Government’s desire for smart meters ...

After a delay brought about by the summer recess, on 15 September MPs in the House of Commons debated the Energy Bill. The Bill itself includes the primary legislation underpinning the Green Deal, which will allow consumers to pay for environmentally-friendly improvements to their homes or businesses from the savings they make by using less gas and electricity.

The Bill will also intr...

The vast majority of businesses that had to comply with the first reporting deadline under the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme have done so, according to information published by the scheme's administrator last week. The CRC, which was launched in April last year, was designed to incentivise businesses that use more than 6,000MWh of elec...

The Prime Minister recently announced that this would be the ‘greenest government ever’ and that, as part of this, central government would reduce its carbon emissions by 10% within 12 months. The government has achieved this target, saving a total of 13.8%. Never before has central government achieved this level of reduction in such a short space of time.

This target span...

In a recent announcement, the Government set out a number of proposals to further reform the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme.

The changes have been brought forward in response to criticisms that the scheme is too complex and overlaps with other policies. But it refused to scrap the scheme entirely and instead claimed the changes propos...

Feed-in tariff review confirms expectations of renewables industry as funding to large-scale installations is restricted.

Subsidies for large-scale solar power installations are to be cut drastically, in a move that ministers said would preserve funds for households to put up panels, but industry warned would mean a slower uptake of renewable power.

The government said its lon...

The UK's green investment bank will be investing in UK low-carbon infrastructure projects within a year, and is expected to have assisted in injecting £15bn into the green economy within four years, Nick Clegg told a City of London audience on Monday. The deputy prime minister cheered investors by setting out key concessions when announcing the details of the long-awaited ne...

Businesses in the FTSE100 buy carbon offsets worth just 0.1% of their carbon emissions, according to a recent report by UK-based carbon offsetting company Carbon Retirement.

Of the 21 companies that offset their carbon emissions just six claim to be carbon neutral––a “pitifully low” proportion accor...

Research published recently has suggested that, although the number of private sector participants outnumbers the public sector by 3 to 1 under the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency (CRC) Scheme, the public sector has 2.5 times as many participants classed as ''leaders'' in their attitudes to sustainability. Measuring up

Electricity link between UK and the Netherlands seen as key step in connecting renewable energy to a European power grid.

It stretches 260km under the North Sea, contains 23,000 tonnes of copper and lead, and may represent the first step towards a renewable energy revolution based on a European electricity "supergrid". The £500m BritNed cable, which has just entered operation, i...

66% of the public question authenticity of company climate change claims 

Businesses risk facing a costly backlash due to consumer mistrust of firms’ claims of action on climate change, according to new research commissioned by the Carbon Trust and supported by global brand analysis, from

A joint partnership between the Carbon Trust and Siemens to provide UK businesses with green equipment finance worth up to 550 million pounds over the next three years has been announced today. 

This major new deal will boost green growth and unlock business investment in the low carbon economy – key to the UK’s recovery. The new dedicated low carbon ...

“This incentive is the first of its kind in the world. It’ll help the UK shift away from fossil fuel, reducing carbon emissions and encouraging innovation, jobs and growth in new advanced technologies.” (Secretary of State, Chris Huhne) 

• £860m government scheme expected to increase green capital investment by £4.5 billion up to 2020, s...

Schools are under-performing on energy efficiency on DEC ratings with 14 percent scoring G ratings and only 15 percent scoring above average according to the LessEn League Table.

A League Table released by LessEn, the free global energy efficiency exchange, has analysed data provided by 11,993 primary and secondary schools in England and Wales that have been granted a...

The EU's energy challenges are the focus of the European Council talks in Brussels - at least according to the official agenda. The EU has set itself a "20-20-20" goal: a 20% cut in emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020, compared with 1990 levels; a 20% increase in the share of renewables in the energy mix; and a 20% cut in energy c...

• Associated British Ports will build £100m berth in Hull • Siemens plans to invest £80m to build a wind turbine plant German engineering conglomerate Siemens has selected Associated British Port's (ABP) Hull development to build what will be Britain's first major offshore wind turbine manufacturing plant. The decision means that ABP is in ...