Business Juice CEO James Constant looks at why the UK came 62nd in the IFC’s Doing Business rankings. I like a good survey; I find it amazing how we’re willing to tell a perfect stranger our intimate details in return for an Amazon voucher. I always do wonder however whether anyone actually reads the results and […]
Ofgem to overhaul the business energy market
5 Energy Proposals Outlined Earlier this week Ofgem published its proposals to make the energy market better for domestic customers, and today it has also published its proposals for how it will make the market work better for businesses. The proposals are the result of the Retail Market Review, which started way back in 2010. Here are the main […]
Can Government Force Cheaper Energy Tariffs?
Could the government force energy suppliers to offer customers their cheapest tariff? Our CEO, James Constant, reflects on the PM’s leftfield announcement on energy prices that he made earlier today. “I can announce that we will be legislating so that energy companies have to give the lowest tariff to their customers.” Those were the words […]
Coalition Fight it out over the Energy Bill
Senior politicians are due to meet this week to discuss the Energy Bill, the piece of legislation that will play a big part in determining the future of our energy industry (and the size of your business energy bills). Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Chancellor George Osborne, Chief Secretary to […]
Heading for blackouts in 2015?
Guest Post by economist Lisa Waters of Waters Wye Associates Are we heading for a future of blackouts? It is being widely reported that energy regulator Ofgem is forecasting that the electricity system margin is getting very tight. Looking at the difference between the forecast peak demand and the available generation capacity (known as the plant […]
Competition in the business energy market
Guest Post by Robert Buckley Competition is more than a fringe in the non-domestic energy markets In the latest of our guest blogs, Robert Buckley, Director of energy consultancy Cornwall Energy tackles competition in the business energy market. Consumer Focus has just published a report that my colleague Kate Hill and I have written on the non-domestic […]
Rising energy prices threaten businesses
Rising energy prices could force 300,000 businesses to shut according to Business Juice’s Business Energy Barometer. 30% of businesses say that say that if energy prices continue to rise by 15% a year it will have catastrophic or very serious consequences, with 7% of these (equivalent to over 300,000 companies) saying that it could force […]
Energy prices rises hit business in the North West
North West hit harder than rest of UK Businesses in the North West are more sensitive to energy price rises than the rest of the UK, but despite this apparent concern about prices, it seems that many might not be doing everything possible to protect themselves from the impact of price hikes. These are […]
Cost of the Electricity Market Reform
How Will Charges be Passed On? The changes we need to make to the energy market are going to cost a lot of money, and customers will end up paying in one way or another. In this guest blog, economist Lisa Waters looks at the different ways this cost could make its way onto your bill. As […]
British Gas claims smart meters will save £14bn
Is it too good to be true? A new report from British Gas that looks at the costs and benefits of the smart meter rollout says that it could save the nation £14 billion by 2030. That’s a huge saving, but how realistic is it? According to the report, while the rollout of smart meters to all premises […]