Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary Edward Davey has today published practical advice for energy consumers looking to get a better deal on their gas and electricity deals through ‘collective switching’, and guidance for organisations wanting to launch their own collective energy purchasing schemes.

Businesses, consumer groups, local government groups, housing organisations, charities and energy regulator Ofgem also attended a round table meeting chaired by the Energy Secretary in Westminster to discuss how to help consumers club together to cut their gas and electricity bills.

Richard Bates, Director of Empowered Consumers at Consumer Focus, commented:

“Many consumers are put off by the prospect of having to switch energy by themselves. Collective switching – where an intermediary can do the hard work on their behalf – offers an alternative, straightforward way of switching. And because the intermediary can aggregate together consumer demand, it can give customers much more muscle in markets than they have when switching alone.

“Other countries have already shown that collective switching can deliver significant consumer benefits, chiefly greater convenience and better value. There is real scope for similar schemes to be developed in the UK and we hope many organisations will be interested in finding out how this innovative model can work in their area.”

Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, today welcomed Housing Minister Grant Shapps at a meeting of the APPG on Mobile Homes. The Minister attended the meeting, chaired by Christopher Chope MP, to discuss the current consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government on Park Homes.

The Minister outlined the consultation and answered questions from MPs and stakeholders. He highlighted that a Private Members Bill on Park Homes would receive Government support if put forward. The Private Members’ Ballot takes place tomorrow, and MPs will find out which 20 members will receive Parliamentary time for a bill.

Annette said:

“Having heard for many years about the anguish of people who have suffered living on a site with a rogue park home owner, it is exciting that the matter is likely to be addressed in the immediate future.

I welcome the consultation and the Government support for a Private Members’ Bill, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that one of the lucky 20 MPs takes the legislation forward.”

Annette has campaigned for years on these issues, along with local park home resident and founder of the Park Home Owners Justice Campaign Sonia McColl.

The publication of the consultation is the culmination of organised national rallies, meetings of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mobile Homes, Parliamentary Questions asked by Annette to various Ministers in the House of Commons, including two to the Prime Minister, and Parliamentary debates.

The consultation is open until 28th May 2012 and can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/mobilehomeowners

Co-operative Energy have agreed to supply gas and electricity tothe first 30,000 households to sign up to the nationwide collective campaign from the consumer group Which?, known as the Big Switch.

For those who pay by direct debit and want a fixed rate deal, its main option is one of the cheapest on the market, based on a typical user, but if you prefer a variable rate tariff, there are other deals that can be significantly cheaper, but headline energy prices are based on a ‘typical’ user so the true energy cost can vary depending on how much energy you use and where you live..

Everyone who has registered an interest in the Big Switch and has provided tariff information will be sent a quote showing them how much money they could save by changing their supplier.

The quote will not just be for the two Co-op tariffs available, but for all deals available, so households can choose which would be the best for them.

Over 285,000 households have expressed an interest in the Big Switch, but there is only space for 30,000 to join the new Co-op scheme through Which?

Read more about new developments in the Big Switch on the Money Saving Expert website.

Consumers have been warned the cost of new energy deals is creeping up, after Scottish Power became the second provider in a month to replace its online tariff with a more expensive offer.

The big six provider today withdrew its Online Fixed Price Energy July 2013 tariff, which costs £1,055 a year for a typical household. Its pricier replacement, Online Fixed Price Energy August 2013, costs an average £1,086 a year – £31 more

Read more on the Money Saving Expert website

There was good news for households at risk of falling into fuel poverty as Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg announced Government support for home improvement measures targeted at the country’s poorest.

In a speech given to industry and environment leaders yesterday morning, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that more than half a billion pounds will be provided by energy companies through the scheme to ensure that hard-up households can receive financial support to help them improve their homes’ energy efficiency, permanently reducing their energy bills.

In his speech, Mr Clegg outlined that the money could help to cover the costs of installing insulation or new boilers amongst other improvements, helping to bring thousands of British families out of fuel poverty, saying:

“We will be requiring the energy companies to provide an estimated £1.3bn a year of support for energy efficiency in our homes with at least £540m to fund energy saving improvements in the worst off homes.

“It is shameful that the UK still has so many families unable to heat their homes. By delivering lasting improvements, each year this money will help 180,000 of the poorest households make their homes cheaper to heat for good.”

Les Bonner says:

“This announcement is great news for North East Lincolnshire. Many of our homes are of Victorian or early twentieth century vintages, whose energy efficiency is sadly very much behind the times. By offering financial support for home improvement, help is now available for those households which would otherwise struggle to afford the measures they desperately need.
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When it launches this autumn, the Green Deal will become the most ambitious home improvement programme since the second world war. It is at the heart of the Government’s strategy, not just to Green our economy but to also help family’s improve their homes, cut their fuel bills and with that, reduce the UK’s dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. But to achieve our ambitious goals, it will need to run for nearly two decades. A clear long term perspective, patience and pragmatism will be vital to its success as the market for the Green Deal builds and evolves.

In the next few weeks and months, working closely with the private sector and Local Authorities, we will put in place the final details of the scheme. But before those details have even been announced the sceptics and the critics have been sharpening their pencils. I have no doubt that after the scheme has gone live, with the benefit of real life experience, we will want to come forward with improvements to the way it works and in due course, additional incentives and appropriate penalties to keep it on track, as well as take account of exciting new technologies as they become available.
However the basic Green Deal framework for allowing people to make improvements to their home without any upfront cost which can then be paid for through electricity bills over twenty five years, from the very savings they create, leaving people better off; that is rock solid.

To some people this sounds too good to be true and others have misinterpreted existing research or just got their facts plain wrong. So I want to address some of the urban myths about the Green Deal that seem to be doing the rounds:
1.People won’t save money
People can expect to save money.
There will be two assessments to help consumers see for themselves how much they stand to save. The first assessment will take account of the average energy use of the home, and the second will look at how the occupants use the home so they can enter the Green Deal knowing how best to maximise what they will save.
The Green Deal charge will be fixed from the start too and is designed to ensure money is saved based on existing energy prices. So if energy prices rise, which seems likely, savings will substantially increase.
2. The method used to calculate the savings is inaccurate
This isn’t true. The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which is what we use to calculate how much people will save, is based on a survey of thousands of homes and is being constantly updated to take account of the latest research and experience of energy saving measures.
3.A number of surveys and pilots have shown that people don’t save
Research highlighted recently in the media was based on a handful of homes and included a wide range of home improvements beyond what was necessary to reduce their bills. Further, the trials were not done to Green Deal standards as they included a number of measures that won’t be fully funded under the Green Deal like solar heating which will be subsidised under a different scheme. Therefore they were not testing the Green Deal.
Clearly Government can’t guarantee people will save money if they then change the way they use energy, for example by heating their home for longer each day. But they should still save money compared to what it would have cost to power their home in that way without a Green Deal.
4.People will have to pay for improvement work if they want to build a conservatory
This is simply not true. Standard sized conservatories are not included in the plans that the Communities Department has been consulting on.
5.People will be forced to take out a Green Deal
This is absolutely not true. The Green Deal is simply one option for funding energy efficiency measures which people may wish to consider, but no one will be compelled to take out a Green Deal Plan. Further, Green Deal is not personal debt nor standard credit scored as the finance will be attached to the electricity bill of the property.

22 pioneer providers have already signed up to be part of the Green Deal from the initial stages and more are expected, here’s what a few of them have said:

- Sally Hancox, Director, Gentoo Group, said:
“Gentoo has a firm belief in the potential of the Green Deal to enable large scale retrofit programmes across the UK. The principles of the Green Deal are sound and as a group, Gentoo has a strong desire to enable its customers in Sunderland and others across the UK to benefit.”

- Rob Lambe, Managing Director, Willmott Dixon Energy Services said:
“In the UK we have become too used to living in cold uncomfortable homes with increasing numbers living in fuel poverty, under Green Deal, our strong tradition of home improvement will be able to readily combine aesthetics and function with increased warmth whilst protecting against rising fuel bills and climate change – a great business opportunity”

- Adam Hewson, Director, ReEnergise Finance Ltd said:
“We believe The Green Deal represents an important element in the overall drive to reduce carbon emissions and improve the UK’s overall energy efficiency. It is also a natural part of ReEnergise’s business model – combining energy advice, project management and finance.

- John Egan, CEO, Enact Energy Renewables Limited said:
“Enact is pleased to be a part of the Pioneer Green Deal Provider Group. The Green Deal promises to move the renewable and energy saving market on from the consideration of individual technologies and measures to a genuine ‘whole house’ approach to improving the energy performance of UK homes. The role of a Green Deal Provider very closely matches the role that Enact has played since 1996 under its own name, and in partnership with local councils, and over the last few years on behalf of Marks & Spencer and Tesco.”

- Phil Gilbert, Head of Energy Innovation, E.ON said:
“Green Deal has the potential to help millions of customers to improve their homes, cut their fuel bills and their carbon emissions, without needing to find the upfront investment.”

A new report from, Shelter reveals that Britain’s housing market is failing to meet the needs of older people – despite a rapidly ageing population and a growing demand for retirement housing.

The report, entitled‘A better fit’, explores the housing options available to people aged over 55, a group which will make up one third of the population of England by 2030.

A survey commissioned for the report by YouGov reveals that 36% of older people are interested in retirement housing, either now or in the future, a total of more than 6 million people.

If current levels of demand continue, the supply of retirement housing will need to increase by more than 70% over the next 20 years, but housing that satisfies the changing needs of older people is not being built, with many developers finding it complex and costly to deliver. The lack of specialist housing for older people with care needs is said to be particularly acute.

In response to the findings, Shelter is warning that developers and local planners are missing a huge opportunity that would not only help older people, but could also ease the country’s housing crisis.

If just one in every five older households who are currently under-occupying their homes decided to mov to a smaller property this could release 840,000 family-sized homes – more thanthe total number that have been built over the last eleven years.

Shelter is calling on local authorities to take a more strategic approach to older people’s housing, and to reflect older people in their housing market needs assessments.

Shelter are also urging the Government to use the new National Planning Policy Framework to support the development of housing for older people, and do more to encourage older people to plan ahead for their future care and support needs.

Shelter’s Chief Executive Campbell Robb said:

“We know that most older people want to remain in their homes and should be supported to do so. But this report shows that there are a growing number who would be interested in downsizing – be it to release equity or to bring down bills – yet are finding that there are very limited options available.

“High quality housing in the right places, with support or care facilities available where needed, can help older people live healthy, active lives. Developers, planners and central Government must urgently look at ways to deliver housing that meet the needs of this growing group.

“This is not only a fantastic market opportunity, but a move which would help older people as well as families in housing need.”

Read the full report

Find out more about the issue on the Shelter blog

Architect and TV presenter George Clarke is to be an independent adviser to the Government to help bring thousands of empty homes back into use for families in need of stable, secure homes, Ministers announced today.

Although the numbers of empty homes have fallen to their lowest level since 2004, there are still 720,000 homes sitting empty across the country – with 280,000 left vacant for six months or more.

Ministers have already announced £150 million to bring empty homes back into use as affordable housing – including £50 million to tackle clusters of empty homes.

George Clarke presented Channel 4′s recent series of programmes, The Great British Property Scandal. His work as independent adviser on empty homes will particularly involve:

- promoting bringing empty homes back into use

- raising public awareness of the benefits of bringing empty homes back into use and encouraging people to report empty homes in their area

- encouraging councils, housing associations and voluntary groups to identify innovative and good ideas and sharing this across communities

- challenging Government and other public bodies to ensure publicly-owned homes are not left empty; and
exploring whether current plans for demolition in councils could be scaled back.

Liberal Democrat Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said:

“I am delighted that George Clarke has agreed to work with us as we pull out all the stops to end the national scandal of empty homes.

“For every two families needing a home, there’s a property standing empty – properties that, all too often, attract squatters, vandalism and fly-tipping. That’s why over the past year, I’ve made £150 million available to bring these homes back into use.

“George’s appointment as our independent adviser on this issue will give these efforts a real boost, and I look forward to seeing how communities benefit from his help and advice, and seeing more families benefiting from a secure, stable home as more empty properties are brought back into use.”

Independent Empty Homes Adviser George Clarke said:

“There are hundreds of thousands of empty homes that could and should be saved from the bulldozers and refurbished.

“I totally support the building of new homes when it’s necessary but not when it’s cheaper and quicker to refurbish empty homes than to build from scratch. It can be kinder to communities and the environment – and it makes sense in these tough economic times.

“I care passionately about this subject and I’ll leave no stone unturned in my efforts to find a solution to the problem and get these houses back into use for the families who need them.”

The Deputy Prime Minister has announced that at least £540 million of the government’s home energy efficiency programme – worth £1.3bn per year – will be targeted at helping the poorest.

In a speech to leading environment and industry figures in London, Nick Clegg revealed the support will protect the poorest and most vulnerable in society, including people in deprived areas, from rising energy bills by upgrading their homes so that they are cheaper to heat for good.

The Green Deal is the government’s plan to upgrade the nation’s hardest to heat homes at no upfront cost. Where the cost of the work outweighs the savings, or people need extra financial help, energy companies will be able to step in to top up the loan under the Energy Company Obligation.

In his speech, Nick Clegg said:
“We will be requiring the energy companies to provide an estimated £1.3bn a year of support for energy efficiency in our homes with at least £540m to fund energy saving improvements in the worst off homes.

“It is shameful that the UK still has so many families unable to heat their homes. By delivering lasting improvements, each year this money will help 180,000 of the poorest households make their homes cheaper to heat for good.”

Alongside discounts on energy bills, the Winter Fuel Payment and financial support if it gets really cold, the Energy Company Obligation will be available to help the fuel poor heat their homes to a healthy level more affordably by installing insulation or new boilers. The recently published Hills Review found targeted energy efficiency policies are the key to effectively tackling fuel poverty.

The Energy Company Obligation will now target support, worth an estimated £540m every year, to fund energy saving improvements in the worst off households.

This includes:

Around £350m a year to deliver heating and insulation measures to around 270,000 low income and vulnerable households by 2015, helping them to heat their homes to a healthy level and demonstrating our commitment to tackling fuel poverty. This will focus assistance where fuel poverty rates are highest, and ensure help is available for those most in need.
In light of responses to the recent public consultation on the Green Deal we are considering ways to provide more targeted support for the lowest income homes. This could mean that for those living in the poorest areas, including in social housing, specific support worth around £190m a year will be available from the energy companies to upgrade homes and flats with loft and cavity wall insulation, as well as other insulation measures, to make them warmer and cheaper to run.
Also:

Increase the eligibility criteria for the Affordable Warmth element of the ECO, for example to include low income households on working tax credit so that more fuel poor families can be helped.
A large proportion of the Energy Company Obligation will still be targeted at solid wall insulation, but support will be opened up for more measures than before – including hard to treat cavity walls. And where solid wall or hard to treat cavity insulation is being installed this can be accompanied by other measures which reduce heat loss from a property, such as glazing and draught proofing.
Energy companies will be allowed to carry forward overachievement against their targets under the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) and count it towards their ECO targets.
These changes will help smooth the transition for the insulation industry between current schemes and the Green Deal. We will continue work with this industry to see if there is more we can do to help them manage the impacts of the transition.

Millions of people could have their energy bills cut thanks to a landmark agreed between the Coalition and all major energy suppliers.

Nick Clegg has announced that the big six energy companies – EDF, E.On, British Gas, Southern, Scottish Power and NPower, who supply 99 per cent of British homes with energy – will now write to customers every year to specifically tell them what the best tariff is for them and how to get it.

‘Going Green has never made so much sense’

The Deputy Prime Minister made the announcement in a speech where he also hit out at people who believe you must dismiss the green agenda in order to deliver growth.

In his speech Nick Clegg said:

“There is a myth doing the rounds in political debate today; that here in the UK environmentalism has hit a wall; that green is for the good times; and that we cannot up our efforts to protect our environment while simultaneously growing our economy.

“But this new wisdom, however persuasive, is utterly wrong. Yes, right now climate change may be lower down some people’s thoughts. Yes, we need to be sensitive to businesses’ needs. But in so many ways, for so many consumers, for so many firms, going green has never made so much sense.”

You can read the full speech here.

Currently there are more than 120 different tariffs on offer by the energy companies and seven out of 10 people aren’t on the best tariff for them. The average customer tends to stay on theirs for years, despite the amount of energy they use varying over time. In 2010, 75 per cent of people did not change their tariff.

The Government wants people to save money on their bills whilst also becoming more switched on to the idea of saving energy through green measures to make further savings and protecting the environment.

Nick Clegg said:

“We need to get bills as low as possible. I know that many families are struggling with rising energy bills. We can’t control volatile world energy prices. But we can still help people get their bills down.

“We want to see consumers saving money and engage with the energy they use. Precisely the kind of thrift that is good for pockets as well as the planet.”

Bills can be further reduced with energy efficiency measures such as installing loft and cavity wall insulation – which the Government requires the big energy suppliers to help households with and provide free to some of the most vulnerable consumers.