October 2006
Britons are worst energy wasters in Europe
An Energy Saving Trust survey has found Britons to be the worst energy wasters in Europe. Apart from wasting over £11bn in preventable losses, an extra 43m tonnes of CO2 will be discharged into the atmosphere by 2010.
Indeed, UK households have faced year upon year of increasing prices, with average spending having almost doubled since 2003 from £572 to over £1,000 a year (see table at the end of this article). Accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers have found domestic energy inflation to be over 10 times the rate of normal inflation thanks to high oil and gas prices. This has in turn resulted in the number of Britons living in fuel poverty rising for the first time since 1996 (with fuel poverty being classified as when more than 10% of a household’s income is spent on energy).
Thus energy waste has become a business and consumer issue as well as an environmental one. This latest call to cut down on wasted energy has focused primarily on household goods such as TVs and DVD players as well as computers and lights that have been left on in business premises. Various other saving measures are being suggested to consumers such as "smart meters" which allow both the consumer and the energy company to monitor usage and wastage more closely. Manufacturers are also reacting to the call for action, through the creation of low energy use products such as washing machine tablets designed to function at 30°C instead of 40.
However, in spite of these changes and the fact that households constitute about 27% of the UK’s emissions, current action over climate change has been seen as insufficient. Martyn Williams, parliamentary campaigner for Friends of the Earth stated "We’re not going to save the world by turning our TVs off standby". Defra have countered by saying that they are on target to cut CO2 emissions by 16% by 2010 and the 4% shortfall will help to be addressed through new policies and awareness raising such as domestic energy efficiency drives.
In any case, the UK may receive a kick start from the European Commission. Following the publication of its Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP), measures to cut Europe’s energy consumption by 20% in the next 14 years are awaiting approval. The action would save €100bn and be assimilated into national action plans with the ultimate aim of EEAP being recognised as a global benchmark.
Nevertheless, the consensus amongst environmental watchdogs and the government remains that although there has been progress, there is still a long way to go on the issue.
Energy Price Rises (2003 - 2006)
The table below summarises energy price rises from 2003 to 2006. The comparison assumes that the annual gas consumption is 20,500kWh and that an average of 3,300kWh of electricity are used annually (data from Energy Watch).
|
Gas |
Electricity |
|||||
Jan-03 |
Oct-06 |
Rise |
|
Jan-03 |
Oct-06 |
Rise |
|
British Gas |
£370 |
£707 |
91% |
|
£237 |
£428 |
81% |
EDF |
£324 |
£641 |
98% |
|
£240 |
£357 |
49% |
npower |
£329 |
£628 |
91% |
|
£234 |
£400 |
71% |
PowerGen |
£311 |
£644 |
107% |
|
£241 |
£392 |
63% |
Scottish Power |
£319 |
£622 |
95% |
|
£251 |
£379 |
51% |
Scottish and Southern Energy* |
£326 |
£541 |
66% |
|
£246 |
£342 |
39% |
Across Great Britain |
£330 |
£630 |
91% |
|
£242 |
£383 |
58% |
*Does not include recently announced rises, due to come into effect Jan 2007
If you would like advice on how to save money on your energy and reduce your carbon output through greater efficiency and management contact Nersi Salehi on 01788 538150.
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