Ofcom Telecoms Figures Show Talk Talk Tops Landline & Broadband Complaints

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Ollie

Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, has released figures for complaints and said Talk Talk is the most complained about landline and broadband provider while 3 is the mobile provider with the most complaints.

This is the first time Ofcom has released figures for complaints but it has only included the bigger telecoms and mobile providers. After receiving around 450 complaints a day regarding telecommunications providers Ofcom said Talk Talk topped the list for landline and broadband providers while 3 came top for mobile providers.

Ofcom figures showed that more people complained about Talk Talk between October 2010 and February 2011. Talk Talk’s landline service received 1.78 complaints for every 1,000 customers while its broadband service got 1.27 complaints per 1,000 customers.

The figures used cover complaints made to Ofcom but not those made directly to the providers. However, Ofcom included all complaints, even if they were later found to be unsubstantiated.

The mobile telecoms company, 3, received 0.15 complaints per 1,000 customers in the same period while the mobile provider O2 had the most satisfied customers.

After BT and Virgin Media, Talk Talk is the third largest internet service provider and Utility Exchange has reported recently that Ofcom has received a number of complaints from people who have been billed for cancelled services by Talk Talk. Most of the complaints about telecoms received by Ofcom concern mis-selling, billing errors, lack of service and customer service problems.

The chief executive of Ofcom, Ed Richards said “Consumers should have access to as much information as possible to allow them to choose between providers and to take full advantage of the competition in the sector. By publishing complaints data, Ofcom aims to provide useful information to consumers, and also to give telecoms providers an incentive to improve their customer service”.

Speaking from Consumer Focus, Robert Hammond said “These complaints are likely to be the tip of the iceberg. We would call on all telecoms providers to also publish details of complaints their customer services teams receive. Suppliers should see customer service as something which will give them a competitive edge on their rivals”.

Government Cancels Its Own Solar Project

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Emma

A Government plan to install solar panels on schools, hospitals and a variety of other public buildings has been cancelled.

A Government quango, Buying Solutions, wanted to install solar panels on school roofs, hospitals, town halls and even army bases, to enable public buildings to generate renewable energy.

When the idea was first mooted it was thought of as being value for money, largely because of the Feed In Tariff (FiT). The FiT pays those who generate their own electricity from solar panels or other sources of renewable energy such as wind turbines.

However, despite offering a good return when it was initially suggested, after changes were made to the FiT scheme it was decided that it was no longer such a good deal. Changes to the FiT meant bigger solar installations wouldn’t earn so much money and consequently Buying Solutions withdrew from the project.

The Government has reduced the green subsidy for medium sized projects which would include schools and hospitals and a number of solar energy providers have said the Government has “shot themselves in the foot” by doing this.

However, the Government argues that they had to make changes to the Feed In Tariff scheme to ensure large solar companies didn’t take all the money available for the scheme before households could benefit. Solar companies argue though that it simply means medium sized projects involving schools, hospitals and community centres have lost out.

The co-founder of the Solar Club, a group whose members were planning to invest in a solar project on an army base, said after the FiT review they were told the project would not go ahead. Katie Moore said “The Government were withdrawing from their own project. If the government estate can’t do it – then how are other medium sized projects expected to make money?”

National Grid Prepares For The Royal Wedding

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Kathryn

National Grid has released details of its plans for coping with electricity demand during the Royal Wedding.

The Royal Wedding is set to be a major event and National Grid has to plan for surges and drops in the demand for electricity during the day. National Grid has to ensure that enough power is generated to keep up with consumption.

National Grid owns the electricity transmission network across England and Wales and operates the system across Great Britain. This has meant National Grid’s forecasting team has been hard at work trying to work out how much energy will be needed during the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. To do this they look at data from previous events which were televised – looking at those that took place on similar days and at similar times.

However, National Grid says the forecasting team have had to “mix and match” data from different days and events because this Royal Wedding is unlike any event seen before.

The team isn’t expecting demand to be as high as it was in 1981 when Prince Charles married Lady Diana, but they are expecting it to be bigger than the surge experienced during the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s wedding in 1999. Surges occur when people make the most of a break in proceedings to make a cup of tea or coffee. Therefore forecasters have used Edward and Sophie’s wedding as a guide but they expect a bigger surge than the 750MW experienced in 1999.

The other problem with predicting electricity demand for the big day is that it’s a Bank Holiday. Therefore the forecasters have had to base their forecast on a May Day bank holiday. However, some businesses will still be operating so National Grid has to ensure there’s enough energy for the business electricity supply.

As you can see there are lots of different factors National Grid must consider when working out demand for electricity for such an occasion. They suggest demand for power will gradually increase throughout the morning but surges are expected at specific times during the event. Electricity usage is expected to hit a low point at around the time Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey but a surge is expected once the marriage ceremony begins as people start boiling the kettle for a cup of tea.

So where does this extra power come from? National Grid says the most flexible generation is pumped storage from North Wales and Scotland. Power from here is generated quickly and this will be used along with coal and gas fired power stations around the country. It means those in the control centre will have to monitor power generation closely so that extra energy arrives at just the right moment for boiling the kettle. But on standby, just in case National Grid can’t keep up with demand will be electricity firm, Flexitricity. National Grid pays Flexitricity to hold reserve power available. If it actually needs this power it will make a further payment.

The Forecasting Analyst at National Grid, Andrew Richards said “Planning for major events like this is always fascinating – we get a real insight into the behavioural trends of the British public”. He added, “The entire forecasting team at National Grid is proud of the role they play in making sure families across the country can enjoy watching this special day”.

E.ON Announces 6.5% Business Electricity & Gas Price Increase

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Ollie

If your business electricity or gas contract is due for renewal then compare business electricity prices and gas prices today because E.ON has just announced a price increase of 6.5% from 3 May.

Utility Exchange can report that E.ON’s business electricity and gas prices, which includes their Access and Connect tariffs, are due to increase by 6.5% from Tuesday 3 May.

It means that if your business energy contract is due for renewal it’s important to compare energy prices today and benefit from the cheaper rates before E.ON prices rise next week. If E.ON is increasing its business electricity and gas prices then it’s very likely that other energy providers will also raise prices over the next few weeks.

Therefore if you’re looking for cheap business electricity take a few minutes to carry out a business electricity price comparison and switch to a cheaper deal today.

New 30 Day Notice Rule For Energy Price Rises

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Kathryn

New Ofgem rules which force energy companies to give customers 30 days notice of any price rises come into effect today.

Utility Exchange reported last month that Ofgem had brought in new rules which meant that energy suppliers would have to give 30 days notice of any price changes rather than informing customers after the change had taken place which has happened on a number of occasions.

Previous rules stated that energy providers had 65 working days after a price rise to tell their customers. The new Ofgem rule also means providers must inform customers of any contract changes which will leave them worse off.

The changes mean once notified of any price rise customers will be able to change supplier before they are affected by the price change.

Ofgem’s senior partner for markets, Andrew Wright, said “Ofgem is determined to ensure that supply companies play it straight with consumers. Giving customers advance warning of price rises is one way of ensuring a fairer deal for them”.

Speaking from Consumer Focus, Hannah Mummery said “The challenge now is for energy firms to deliver the changes needed to make switching work for consumers and give them confidence that they are being asked to pay a fair price. The regulator must keep the pressure on until they do”.

The body which represents UK energy suppliers, Energy UK, said energy providers were already providing advance notice before the new rules were introduced.

The director of Energy UK, Christine McGourty said “In the last six months, the leading energy companies have all provided advance notice to customers of their price changes, going beyond the legal requirement at the time. A priority now is to ensure that mailings to millions of homes can be managed effectively to ensure the best possible service for customers”.

Utility Exchange has reported in the past that all the big six energy firms have increased prices over recent months and all have blamed the price rises on the surging cost of wholesale energy prices.

Ofgem has also told energy companies that they must simplify their energy tariffs to make it easier for consumers to compare electricity and gas prices. Ofgem has said that the vast number of tariffs means customers are “bamboozled” by the increasing number of energy tariffs. It remains to be seen what changes energy providers will make to tariffs and whether these changes make it easier for consumers to compare energy prices.

As energy prices only seem to be going one way at the moment – and that’s up – it’s important for everyone to compare and if necessary switch supplier. This applies to businesses too. It’s vital to compare business gas prices and electricity prices to ensure you’re on the best deal – especially if your contract is due for renewal.