450,000 skilled technicians needed by 2020, says National Grid leader

Britain will need 450,000 highly skilled technicians by 2020 to boost the economy, according to a new government report. The Technician Council, which carried out an 18-month long review, is launching a new initiative today to encourage recruitment in the science and technology fields. With the demand of technicians increasing, the review states there is […]

European interconnector study lands funding

The EU is funding a study examining the electricity interconnectivity between the UK and Norway. NorthConnect, the company behind the study, received the funding worth €690,000 (£575,000). It claims the device will improve security of energy supply in both the UK and Scandinavian markets. It also claims that once the interconnector is in operation, it […]

SSE lose doorstep sales appeal

SSE lost an appeal today over allegations the firm tricked customers into switching from their existing energy firm. The company was found guilty on two counts out of seven charges at Guildford Crown Court in May 2011 and now its appeal has been thrown out. SSE said it was “very disappointed” with the result of […]

E.ON announces weakened profits

Big Six energy firm E.ON has said its retail business profits are down 7.6% from the previous year. The power company, which supplies electricity and gas to 4.8 million homes reported profits of £304 million in the UK. The lower earnings came despite E.ON hiking its electricity bills by 11.4% and gas prices by 18.1% […]

British Gas to offer tariff comparison on its customers’ statements

British Gas will begin to display information of its different tariffs on its customers’ annual statements. In an attempt to provide greater transparency and to make buying energy more “simple”, the UK’s largest energy provider said almost nine million customers will have benefited by April 2013. In a table on the front page of annual […]

EDF pay £4.5m after Ofgem investigation

An Ofgem investigation has found Big Six supplier EDF guilty of breaching its marketing licence conditions. As a result EDF has “agreed” to invest £4.5 million to offer help to vulnerable customers. The regulator says the company was not fined because it maintained a “constructive and cooperative” dialogue and acknowledged its shortcomings. Ofgem said in […]

EDF are still the pits, according to energy complaints data

EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy suppliers, is the worst performing amongst the Big Six and has retained its ‘zero-star rating’, according to research from Consumer Focus. The most recent quarterly energy complaints data shows a small overall decrease in complaints levels across the industry. Customers speaking out fell overall by an average […]

As npower profits go up, opinions of them go down

npower faced stinging criticism today as it announced its profits went up by 34% from the year before. The company claimed its profits came from generation assets, but that didn’t convince campaigners after suppliers announced major price rises last year. Adam Scorer, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Consumer Focus said: “We need successful […]

npower announce increased profits, but say investment is key

Energy supplier npower today announced increased profits of £313 million for 2011- a rise of 34%. The company, which has more than six million customers, said the profits were “a result of efficiency improvements and income from power generation assets.” While some have criticised the firm’s relatively large profits (earnings before tax were 606m euros […]

Finance boss calls for energy tax cut

The boss of finance company Pockit has called on Government to reconsider the current VAT for energy bills. Danny Jatania claims the 5% rate is hitting those in poverty and thinks that scrapping the tax could help millions during the recession. He said: “By scrapping VAT on energy bills the government could cut the number […]