News & Views

March 2008

29th March 2008

Across the world today cities and towns will be turning off their lights to highlight the impact of climate change. Originally started in Australia, more than 35 countries will now be taking part with the aim of raising awareness of the fact that mankind's needs are now having a significant impact upon the environment.

To see the light, you must first pass through the dark.

28th March 2008

The Governments own 'Fuel Poverty Advisory Group' has admitted that the targets set to end fuel poverty by 2010 will not be met due to ...

... wait for it ...

... its own policies.

Which is odd as Alisatir Darling announced in his first budget, that "Energy companies spend £50m on social tariffs. I want to see that rise to £150m".

Anyway, here's a question for the weekend - If you were being paid £5100 a day (enough to pay the saleries of approximately 105 teachers) what would you do with the money?

I'd probably get a new hairdresser!

25th March 2008

The World Coal Carrying Championship took place today in Gawthorpe, which is a pretty impressive event considering the competitiors had to carry a 51kg bag of coal for nearly a mile.

I spent most of the Easter weekend staying out of the cold and rain. See Yorkshire Post coverage.

It did make me realise how easy it is now we have energy at our fingertips.

22nd March 2008

It was finally announced on 20th March that the Scottish & Southern Energy Group (made up of Atlantic Electric & Gas, SWALEC, Scottish Hydro Electric, and Southern Electric) will be the last of the major providers to raise its prices. They have announced rises of 14.2% on electricity and 15.8% on gas.

Although some may find this welcome news, now that all of the 'big 6' providers have gone up in price a 'level playing field' has been created, it means that customers will be spending more on their energy bills than ever before. For an average user* who is on a dual fuel tariff with SSE, there bill are set to rise to at least £930 per annum.

Further price increases are likely throughout the year due to the rising cost of wholesale gas and electricity. As the UK is now depending more and more on imported gas, the energy companies will of course be passing these increased costs onto us the consumer.

One of the major problems for the UK is that the stocks within the North Sea are dwindling, and the supply network for imports rely on a complicated distribution network that includes the Ukraine (see the article for the 6th March).

Now is a great time to see whether or not you could switch to a cheaper supplier and reduce the cost of your bills. By switching to a cheaper supplier you can save money and and also choose a company with a better policy towards the environment.

I would suggest a 'capped tariff' or 'fixed tariff' would be the ebst option at this moment in time. The majority of these tariffs no longer have any fixed term contracts and the added benefit is, that if prices continue to increase, then your prices are fixed and you are protected. This makes budgeting for those payments easier, I recently switched to a capped tariff, protecting me from price increases but allowing me to switch again should the prices decrease.

* Based on 20,000 kWh of gas and 3,300 kWh of electricity and paying Monthly Direct Debit.

20th March 2008

Poor Maths Costs

Poor mathematics costs us huge amounts each year, for instance Londoners loose at least £523m by spending more money on services that they really should be. See BBC news aritcle.

Luckily we have done all the hard sums for everyone. By simply entering your post code and your energy provider details, you can see how much money can be saved in a click. The service is free and impartial and all the 'paper work' is done for you AND we will make a donation to the Registered Charity of your choice.

19th March 2008

Scotland opens £90m biomass power station

Officially opened today, Steven's Croft power station near Lockerbie will see Scotland's biomass capacity double. Owned and operated by E.ON (formerly Powergen) the site has created jobs and power for 70,000 homes. See BBC news article.

You can measure your own carbon footprint and see how much renewable energy your provider is using with the energy comparison calculator. Remember, you can save money and much more by using our service!

17th March 2008

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona dár gcairde agus teaghlach.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to our friends and family.

14th March 2008

Something for the weekend!

After a fruitful week, the weekend is once more upon us. This week the Save for a Change team are all getting together for a meal. We thought we would share with you one of our favourite recipes, for you to start your weekend off with a bang.

Buon appetito!

11th March 2008

Over the past few weeks 'Fuel Poverty' has been in the news; primarily how to tackle it in the face of rising energy bills and the profit being announced by the big energy companies.

Most households have seen their energy bills triple in the space of 6 years, which has made it harder to budget household bills, but what about those people who are already on low incomes and already struggle to heat and light their homes?

Read the full article to find out just how this affects us.

6th March 2008

"Wakey, wakey, rise and shine, it's off again, on again..."

The Ukraine have gas again!

The Ukraine have been having major dramas over the supply of gas. The supplies had been cut in half after disputes over the debt that it holds with Gazprom. For now it seems that the two parties have come to an arrangement and the supply has resumed. Let us hope that it continues this way.

Gazprom is a Russian state supplier who control a third of the worlds gas supplies. Over a quarter of Europe's gas is supplied by these guys and is piped in through (you guessed it!) the Ukraine.

Last time the supply was stopped (back in 2006) this had a major affect on Europe, the EU have started with plans for an alternative pipeline to bring in gas from Central Asia. This however, will not produce enough gas, and we will still be reliant on Russia for our needs.

2nd March 2008

Happy Mothers Day! - especially to our own.

1st March 2008

March sees the beginning of National Vaccination Month for pets. You can claim your free voucher from Vaccination Month sponsered by the pdsa.

While you're here, have a look for a better energy provider that could help you to save some more money on your household bills and help save the world. As ever, the service is free and impartial and you can donate your 'Change' points to the charity of your choice - like the PDSA for example (Charity No.208217).

1st March 2008

Mothers Apart From Their Children working together with Save for a Change.

Save for a Change are very pleased to announce that the organisation MATCH will be the Charity of the Month for March 2008.

MATCH was set up in 1979 to provide support to mothers who have lost contact with their children; this could be over a period of months, years or even permenantly. Read more about MATCH.