According to Alistair Buchanan, head of energy watchdog, Ofgem, energy prices will continue to rise in Britain for at least the next five years due to rising worldwide gas prices and insufficient renewable energy sources. With many of our power stations set to close in the next few years, and no new plants being built at present, Buchanan claims it is likely that sources are going to be “very tight in three years’ time”. Buchanan believes that part of the problem lies in the UK’s environmental obligations to “decarbonise” the energy industry, made before the economic crisis, resulting in larger costs to build plants able to create the greener energy required. In order to solve this problem, Buchanan suggests that the Government need to provide incentives to encourage more people to use programmes such as the Green Deal and “facilitate a revolution in consumer habits”. In agreement, Mike O’Connor, chief executive of Consumer Focus, also suggests that the solution lies in making existing homes more energy efficient; “We need to do more to ensure our homes do not leak energy and we are calling on the Government to use the funds they raise in carbon taxes to insulate our houses to modern standards.” To help keep your energy bills down, why not consider installing a wood burner in your home and insulating any existing chimney stacks? Call Flue Supplies on 0844 800 6586 for information on how to install a wood burner and the type of system you may need to start making your home more energy efficient.
(Quoted from an article in The Independent by Oliver Wright: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/energy-in-the-uk-the-coming-crunch-8501731.html)