Enigin Update - Warnings for UK Businesses in Annual Energy Statement
UK ENERGY secretary Chris Huhne reveled in his annual energy statement that he the government is looking to help businesses counter forthcoming energy cost increases.
Huhne acknowledged that currently some UK firms do not make such significant energy efficiency savings due to the nature of their industrial processes, plus many UK businesses energy prices are closer to wholesale prices, resulting in harsher energy price rises than other increases.
The UK government estimates that by 2020 and 2030, their own policies could add 19 percent and 28 percent respectively to the average energy bill of medium-sized business energy consumers, whereas the figure for large energy intensive users could be anywhere between 2 percent and 20 percent. Plus electricity bills in general are also estimated to increase by 34 percent and 45 percent by 2020 and 2030 respectively.
Enigin plc's energy efficiency programmes and technology - such as EnergyMaps - will become ever more vital for businesses to implement. Available exclusively through Enigin Distributors EnergyMaps and the Enigin range put the control of energy use into the hands of decision makers, leading to substantial savings on energy costs, while providing the data for the most effective energy efficiency measures to be taken.
Risk analyst for Utilyx, Andrew Horstead, said: “Last week we learnt that rising environmental costs were behind Rio Tinto Alcan’s decision to close its Lynemouth aluminium smelting plant. The government must now act to protect the very industries it will turn to.”
Horstead added that the Rio Tinto Alcan decision and the energy statement is alarming, and will lead to lively discussions in many corporate boardrooms across Britain.
Director of Policy fro EEF the manufacturers organisation, Steve Radley, called for action on energy efficiency measures, stating: “The analysis released today reinforces the urgent need for measures to safeguard the jobs and investment in Britain’s energy-intensive industries. But the bigger the picture is that the government needs to get a firmer grip on the energy costs most directly under its control – those arising from its own policies. Failure to do so could threaten future investment in the manufacturing sector.”
Hence, Huhne revealed, that "the government is committed, before the end of the year, to announcing a package of measures for those energy intensive industries" so that policies on climate change will not impact on international competitiveness.
New policies and schemes will also allow firms to install energy saving technologies at no upfront cost, with repayments made over time out of the energy savings.
Picture of Birds Circling Over Canary Wharf by Ian Dalgleish
