Act now as energy prices go up again next month (From Dudley News)

Act now as energy prices go up again next month

7:00am Saturday 8th September 2012 in NewsXtra

A Stourbridge energy expert has said householders should act now after Britain’s second largest energy supplier announced a 9 per cent increase on both gas and electricity prices from next month.

SSE, formerly known as Scottish and Southern Energy, has announced the rise from October 15 which will add £119 to the average SSE dual-free bill for their customers and the other big energy companies are expected to follow suit. The company blamed it on the wholesale markets, as well as the rising costs of using the National Grid network.

But Colin Priest said there were three ways householders could offset this winter setback if they acted now.

Firstly, they could spray foam their loft with the Icynene Insulation System which forms an air-tight seal in the attic and reduces heating bills by up to 50 per cent as it literally stops heat going up through the roof, saving up to £600 a year every year. Secondly, he suggests putting a four-metre square solar thermal system on the roof which cuts energy costs by up to 33% and provides up to 70% of a householder’s annual hot water needs as it is powered and paid for by sunlight. The latest systems can now work with combi boilers.

Finally, householders could install solar panels to cut their energy bills, as well as receiving the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) – the money the Government pays residents for generating electricity.

The Generation Tariff is 16p per Kilowatt Hour for all electricity generated for a 4 kWp system and is topped up with the Export Tariff, which adds an extra 4.5p per KWh for electricity exported to the Grid. These figures are index linked and guaranteed for 20 years.

Colin, who lives in Quarry Bank and has joined Noreus Ltd in Stafford, said: “The returns from investing in this technology are up to 9.2 per cent, far better than any bank account or pension.”

For more details on energy saving call 0845 474 6641.