President Barack Obama proposed on Monday to boost funds for clean energy research and deployment in his 2012 budget by slashing subsidies for fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal.

The budget provides the Department of Energy with $29.5bn (£18.4bn) for the fiscal year 2012, up 4.2% from the proposed 2011 budget, and up 12% from the enacted 2010 budget. Some $8bn would support research in clean energy like wind, solar and advanced batteries.

“Whomever leads in the global, clean energy economy will also take the lead in creating high-paying, highly skilled jobs for its people,” the administration said in the budget.

The budget would also provide $853m to support new nuclear energy technologies, such as small modular reactors. The White House asked for $36bn in federal loan guarantees to help finance the building of nuclear power plants, as it did last year. The loan programme already has $18bn in authority.

To help pay for the clean energy initiatives, the White House is asking Congress to repeal $3.6bn in oil, natural gas and coal subsidies, a move that would total $46.2bn over a decade. In addition, the budget cuts funding for oil and gas research and for hydrogen fuels programmes. But many Republicans oppose cutting subsidies for fossil fuels, saying it would hurt industries that provide jobs while the economy is still fragile.

The budget would double the number of energy innovation hubs to six to bring scientists to work on topics like rare earth elements, energy storage and batteries and development of smart grid technologies designed to make electricity transmission efficient

Technorati Tags: Cleaner power

I think not….Reports in all the papers today allude that homes in the UK should brace themselves for steep increases in their fuel bills, Britain’s energy regulator warned last night. Ofgem went onto say they feared a crisis in Russian gas supplies will ‘push up prices’ in the next few years.

The warning will worry thousands of households, particularly pensioners who are often forced to choose between heating and food, and families with young children who cannot afford to keep warm in the winter months.

The average gas and electricity bill, known as ‘dual fuel’, has more than doubled in the past five years from £580 to £1,240 a year – an increase of nearly 115 per cent.

Last night, Industry experts said: ‘Gas scarcity in Europe could push up prices for British consumers and they urged customers to look at new leaner and more modern authorised distributors ( Editors note : Like www.betterbills.net ). He said “ In today’s toughening market place consumers must look towards both using less and shopping around for their energy “ He went on to mention that savings of 20% were not uncommon and customers now have a wide range of products and services available to them.

The Citizens Advice Bureau has already reported a sharp rise in the number of households contacting it for help. Between May and September, the number of those with ‘fuel debts’ jumped nearly 50 per cent compared to the same period last year. Chief executive David Harker said the figures are particularly worrying because winter has not even started.

David Hunter, an analyst at the energy consultancy McKinnon & Clarke, warned that millions of families are facing a nightmare battle to pay their fuel bills if they climb even higher.’The long-term future for energy bills is that they are going to cost more and more,’ he said.

‘People who are already struggling to pay the bills should be paying less, not more. Any future rises are going to be very difficult.’ He also called for the ‘Big Six’ energy firms – including British Gas and Scottish Power – immediately to cut their annual bills by £120. . Despite wholesale prices for gas and electricity more than halving over the last year, energy giants have only passed on modest cuts and are reliant on their customers not leaving.

Times are hard and customers are starting to see the light but the big utility companies seem to be only interested in the bottom Line.

With the state of the worlds economy and the relentless worldwide search for renewable energy, cheaper electricity is something close to everyone’s heart.

Of course you could just use less and many try to but to most others cheaper electricity means simply buying it for less money. The price of electricity goes up with inflation year on year as set out by the government watchdog Ofwatt and wholesale costs also rise/fall with the price of oil. Every time there is a major incident around the world cheaper electricity gets further for every ones reach. The attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the war in Iraq or the collapse of banking giants Lehman Brothers, these have all directly affected the price of electric bills landing on door steps across the UK. Of course as oil drops and the threat of war ceases we should get cheaper electricity bills but as we all know that’s rarely the case.

Since the deregulation of the Electricity and Gas industry in the 1990’s there has been a wider choice in the UK energy market. Lost cost providers are now offering gas and electricity across the current infrastructure in millions of homes nationwide. I guess a similar parallel can be drawn with the airline industry with many new smaller leaner carriers competing with the big boys offering discounted airfares across Europe and beyond. Easyjet’s planes are full of passengers that are happy to spend a lot less on a ticket than say British Airways were charging for the same route. Of course some of these airlines will fail ( and have ) , as will some of the smaller energy providers but the better ones will survive increasing competition and driving down the price or your electric bill. In fact recent findings show that on average each person that has swapper to a low cost supplier is about £100 better off per annum since deregulation.

Bearing in mind this saving its hard to understand why so many households are still using the bigger and dearer providers like Npower and Eastern Electricity and not looking at other cheaper companies. Many of these new providers also have modern helpful customer services teams to further set them selves apart for the established old boys. Indeed their satisfaction ratings are  almost double that of current providers.

If you look at average utility bills , Gas , Electricity , Home/Mobile phone and Broadband prices appear quite keen and most people cant be bothered changing supplier but add them all up and multiply the total by 12 and its easy to see why many house holds are spending upwards of £1500 a year , some considerably more. A ten or twenty percent saving is easily achievable by moving your account to a lost cost carrier. It’s the same gas and electricity as before just cheaper and that means cheaper electricity bills……

Have a look at your bills, take off 20% and multiply this figure by 12 , it wont buy you a new car but it’s a saving , often it’s a big saving. Check out a low cost provider , what have you got to lose ?

10 ways to save energy, money, and help prevent climate change.

Here are some simple measures you can do right now.

1. Use energy saving lightbulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and using one can save you around £40 over the lifetime of the bulb. This saving could be around £65 over its lifetime if you’re replacing a high wattage incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day.
2. Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent and typically saves around £55 per year. If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time.
3. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C/140°F.
4. Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
5. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows and check for draughts around windows and doors.
6. Don’t leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily.
7. If possible, fill up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher: one full load uses less energy than two half loads.
8. Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you’re using an electric kettle).
9. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they’re fully turned off!
10. Do a home energy check. Just answer some simple questions about your home and we’ll give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can save up to £300 a year on your household energy bills.

Just doing these simple things will cut at least 10% off your bills

Reasons to Switch your Gas & Electricity

Frequently Asked Questions.

What details do I need to switch my gas & electricity?
Most people can switch using just their postcode and a few basic details – such as how much they spend or how much energy they use (if you don’t have this information to hand you can still switch using our usage estimator).

Please note: if you’d like to switch to a direct debit tariff, you will need to fill out the DD form online with your bank details.  Rest assured our web pages are secure, and your details will be encrypted and held securely.

In a very small number of cases you may need to know your gas or electricity meter number, which you can find on an old bill or the meter itself.

What is a gas meter (or MPRN) number and how do I find it?
Your MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) is the unique identifying number of the Gas meter at your property.  It is a 10 digit number, sometimes referred to as an “M” number, and can be found on your gas bill (generally on the back of the bill).
What is an electricity meter (or MPAN) number and how do I find it?
Your MPAN is the unique identifying number of the Electricity meter at your property.  It is often referred to as a “Supply Number” or “S” number, and it can be found on your electricity bill (generally on the back of the bill).  If you can’t locate your number, you should contact your current electricity supplier. We have a system on the site which looks up your meter number automatically in most cases.
How does the process for transferring suppliers work?
Check against the suppliers and tariffs shown on the results table, and remember you can search by price, service rating and green credentials.

Once you have chosen a supplier,fill in the forms ( often online ) and within a month you will be given a supply transfer date by your new supplier.  On this day you should take a meter reading and submit it to your new supplier.  They will contact your old provider so they can arrange a final bill and close your account.

Will there be any interruption to my supply?
No, there will be no interruption whatsoever.  There is no need to change any meters, wires or pipes – your new supplier will use the same ones as your old one.  The only changes that you will notice will be a lower bill and / or improved customer service from your new supplier.

Do I need to contact my old provider to switch to a new supplier?
No, your new supplier will organise the entire switching process.  You should, however, ensure that your new supplier receives a final meter reading from you so that they can organise a bill and close your existing account.

If I want to switch to a Direct Debit tariff do I need to have my bank details?
No, in some instances you can request a paper DD form which will be sent to you by your new supplier.  You can then fill out your bank details and return it to them in your own time.  We recommend that you complete Direct Debit forms on energyhelpline.com as it will save you time, and the details are received and held securely.

I’m not sure who my current supplier is, how do I find out?
Check any recent bills – your supplier’s name will be on there, probably at the top.  Otherwise, to find out who your current gas supplier is, you can contact the Meter Point Number Helpline on 0870 608 1524.  To find out who your current electricity supplier is, you can contact your landlord or letting agency or your regional electricity supplier eg. London Electricity – you can find their phone number in the phone book, on the web, or from directory enquiries.

Info from www.noteservice2010.com thanks…

I don’t really understand what I need to do when I move in, I will obviously want to shop around for the cheapest deals but I also want to get rid of these meters as I’ve heard they’re much more expensive.

Do I contact the supplier I want to go with and they will come and remove the meters for me then put me on a monthly direct debit?

Could someone just explain the process when moving in to a new home? As I said before, this is my first time so I really don’t know.

contact the supplier you decide on,tell them your situation and they will advise you accordingly

On the 22nd of August we moved into a rented property together. One of the first things we did upon moving was take the gas and electric meter readings and pass them to the previous gas and electric supplier used by the last tenants. (Let’s called them supplier X) Upon moving we arranged to change suppliers, however there is a period of waiting required between changes where supplier X will still bill us.
Supplier X have sent us bills for 22-31st of August and the 1-30th of September for gas and electric – both of these bills were in our names and both have been paid – the company acknowledges the payment of these bills in full.

However there is another bill due for the dates 1-21st of August which is simply addressed to ‘new occupier’. As our tenancy didn’t begin until the 22nd, I contacted the company and they said to ignore all correspondence regarding this bill. However we are still getting demands to pay this bill in the name of ‘new occupier’. We have contacted the company again, explained we are the new occupiers and that no one currently residing in the property is liable for the bill between the 1-21st of August. The company agreed we, the current tenants were not liable but said that they could not stop sending out letters addressed to ‘new occupier’ demanding payment.

We are now getting a little worried as we do not know who or where the previous tenants are, and eventually we may receive correspondence suggesting bailiffs could pay us a visit.

Would continually demanding payment to ‘new occupier’ (us) count as harassment, as we do not owe the money for this bill? Can someone please advise us on the best course of action to avoid getting these letters demanding payment and to rid ourselves of the dreaded supplier X?

Many thanks!

Make copies of whatever documentation you have that proves you only began occupying the place on August 22nd, and take it in person to the X gas and electric company. Firmly request to have this issue settled on the spot by someone who has the authority to do so.

Possibly the problem is that no one was occupying the property before the 22nd, but the utilities were still on. That’s a problem for the landlord.