Latest news with #Ofgem
Daily Record
28 minutes ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Householders warned not to use washing machine at this time of day for one key reason
Householders are being advised not to use appliances at certain times of the day. Householders are being warned of an energy-saving hack over fears it could cause a fire in their homes overnight. Experts are urging cash-strapped households not to run powerful household appliances overnight in a bid to save money, as the risk of fire could far outweigh the financial benefit. Last month, Ofgem confirmed the price cap - from the start of July to the end of September - will fall from £1,849 to £1,720, a saving of £129 over the year. Despite the the drop, energy bills this July are still 10 per cent higher than they were at this time last year. According to energy experts at Grant Store, using appliances like washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers while you sleep could leave you vulnerable to devastating fires, especially when no one is awake to respond quickly to a fault. Some households on off-peak energy tariffs may be tempted to run these high-powered devices during the night, when electricity prices are lower. But experts say this growing trend, often referred to as an 'energy bill hack,' comes with serious risks. The expert said, 'While off-peak tariffs can help reduce your energy bills, running large appliances like washing machines and dryers at night is not worth the potential danger. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'These machines generate heat, rely on motors, and draw significant power. If something goes wrong and no one is awake to catch it, the consequences can be catastrophic.' Instead, Grant Store's specialists recommend only running such appliances when someone is home and alert. That way, if a malfunction does occur, it can be dealt with quickly before it escalates. They added: "We understand why people want to take advantage of cheaper overnight tariffs, especially during a cost-of-living crisis, but safety must come first. A house fire caused by a faulty appliance isn't worth a few pounds of savings." As a safer solution, the experts recommend home battery systems, which allow you to store cheaper electricity overnight and use it during the day when you're awake, and appliances can be monitored. Home batteries typically store between 5kWh and 15kWh of energy, depending on the system. That means they can power multiple wash cycles, depending on the efficiency of the machine and cycle length. A standard washing machine, for example, can use around 2.1kWh per cycle. When using a tumble-dryer, experts previously suggested switching loads while the dryer is still warm from its previous cycle, as this can conserve the remaining heat inside the dryer for your next load of clothes. This can help shorten drying time, as the machine won't need to work as hard to dry your clothes.
RTÉ News
32 minutes ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Fire that shut Heathrow Airport to cost it 'tens of millions'
The boss of Heathrow has revealed the chaotic closure of the London airport in March after a substation fire is expected to cost it tens of millions of pounds. Chief executive Thomas Woldbye said the financial impact of the temporary closure caused by a power outage was expected be in the "low tens of millions". The group is now waiting for a report from energy watchdog Ofgem to finalise its findings into the incident to see if it can claim compensation from National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). No flights operated at the west London airport until about 6pm on March 21 because of the blaze which started late the previous night. More than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted by the incident. Mr Woldbye told PA the group had "learnings" to take away from the incident. A report into events clarified that Mr Woldbye had been asleep with his phone on silent as the overnight decision to close the airport was taken. "That is one learning and that will not happen again. I would have liked to see my personal role play out differently," he said. "That said, we need to have procedures in place that ensures that this company can take the right decisions at the right time by the right people, no matter what the situation is," he said. "An organisation like ours has to be able to manage, whether the captain's on the bridge or not," he added. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he denied misjudging what it meant to be the head of one of the world's busiest airports. Ofgem has launched an official enforcement investigation into NGET after a report found the fire that caused the shutdown of Heathrow was due to a preventable technical fault. The report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) said an "elevated moisture reading" had been found in oil samples at the North Hyde substation in west London in July 2018, but that action was not taken to replace electrical insulators known as bushings. The comments came as the airport revealed half-year profits fell by more than a third despite seeing passenger numbers soar to a record high. The group posted a 37.2% drop in pre-tax profits to £203 for the six months to June 30 as its costs surged, partly driven by a higher wage bill after last autumn's budget measures. Its passenger numbers rose to a record 39.9 million in the first half, up 0.3% on a year earlier.
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Business
- Leader Live
Plans for flexible energy tariffs to help households cut electricity bills
Energy minister Michael Shanks unveiled the next steps to give households and businesses more freedom and choice over how and when they use energy as part of aims to make savings of up to £70 billion in system costs by 2050. The Government wants to offer consumers new ways to take advantage of off-peak, lower electricity prices, through flexible tariffs and smart technology. This includes helping electric vehicle (EV) drivers get discounts on their electricity when using public chargers at off-peak times. It also plans to ensure suppliers make information on smart tariffs more accessible to consumers, while taking the next steps to offer tailored products and services based on electricity usage. The so-called Clean Flexibility Roadmap comes as part of the UK's net-zero aims, while also helping lower bills and boosting the resilience of the power network. Britain will need to shift towards more flexible energy use as the UK becomes more dependent on wind and solar power, such as charging EV batteries when wind is generating a lot of electricity. Mr Shanks said: 'This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy. 'The flexible electricity system we are working to build will help make that a reality for consumers across the country, by supporting them to bring down their bills through using new tariffs and technologies. 'In this way we will protect working people's pockets and ensure they are the first to benefit from our clean power mission.' A flexibility commissioner will be appointed to lead the policy work, and an annual forum will be set up to track progress on the initiative. Akshay Kaul, Ofgem's director general for infrastructure group, said: 'A more flexible energy market will be a real game changer, giving households more control over what they pay for their energy. 'Small lifestyle tweaks such as programming a dishwasher or tumble dryer to run overnight when costs are low or charging your electric car during high winds can have a material impact on people's bills. 'At Ofgem we're opening up flexibility markets to bring better tariffs and products to consumers to make cheaper bills a reality.' The Government has also launched a two-month consultation looking at how more consumers can be supported to use energy flexibly.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Plans for flexible energy tariffs to help households cut electricity bills
Energy minister Michael Shanks unveiled the next steps to give households and businesses more freedom and choice over how and when they use energy as part of aims to make savings of up to £70 billion in system costs by 2050. The Government wants to offer consumers new ways to take advantage of off-peak, lower electricity prices, through flexible tariffs and smart technology. This includes helping electric vehicle (EV) drivers get discounts on their electricity when using public chargers at off-peak times. It also plans to ensure suppliers make information on smart tariffs more accessible to consumers, while taking the next steps to offer tailored products and services based on electricity usage. The so-called Clean Flexibility Roadmap comes as part of the UK's net-zero aims, while also helping lower bills and boosting the resilience of the power network. Britain will need to shift towards more flexible energy use as the UK becomes more dependent on wind and solar power, such as charging EV batteries when wind is generating a lot of electricity. Mr Shanks said: 'This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy. 'The flexible electricity system we are working to build will help make that a reality for consumers across the country, by supporting them to bring down their bills through using new tariffs and technologies. 'In this way we will protect working people's pockets and ensure they are the first to benefit from our clean power mission.' A flexibility commissioner will be appointed to lead the policy work, and an annual forum will be set up to track progress on the initiative. Akshay Kaul, Ofgem's director general for infrastructure group, said: 'A more flexible energy market will be a real game changer, giving households more control over what they pay for their energy. 'Small lifestyle tweaks such as programming a dishwasher or tumble dryer to run overnight when costs are low or charging your electric car during high winds can have a material impact on people's bills. 'At Ofgem we're opening up flexibility markets to bring better tariffs and products to consumers to make cheaper bills a reality.' The Government has also launched a two-month consultation looking at how more consumers can be supported to use energy flexibly.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Record
UK Government confirms new plans for flexible energy tariffs to help households reduce electricity bills
The so-called Clean Flexibility Roadmap is part of the UK Government's net-zero goals. Households will be able to switch to flexible energy tariffs and use smart appliances to help cut electricity bills under plans set out by the UK Government. Energy minister Michael Shanks unveiled the next steps to give households and businesses more freedom and choice over how and when they use energy as part of aims to make savings of up to £70 billion in system costs by 2050. The Labour Government wants to offer consumers new ways to take advantage of off-peak, lower electricity prices, through flexible tariffs and smart technology. This includes helping electric vehicle (EV) drivers get discounts on their electricity when using public chargers at off-peak times. It also plans to ensure suppliers make information on smart tariffs more accessible to consumers, while taking the next steps to offer tailored products and services based on electricity usage. The so-called Clean Flexibility Roadmap comes as part of the UK's net-zero aims, while also helping lower bills and boosting the resilience of the power network. Britain will need to shift towards more flexible energy use as the UK becomes more dependent on wind and solar power, such as charging EV batteries when wind is generating a lot of electricity. Mr Shanks said: 'This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy. 'The flexible electricity system we are working to build will help make that a reality for consumers across the country, by supporting them to bring down their bills through using new tariffs and technologies. 'In this way we will protect working people's pockets and ensure they are the first to benefit from our clean power mission.' A flexibility commissioner will be appointed to lead the policy work, and an annual forum will be set up to track progress on the initiative. Akshay Kaul, Ofgem's director general for infrastructure group, said: 'A more flexible energy market will be a real game changer, giving households more control over what they pay for their energy. 'Small lifestyle tweaks such as programming a dishwasher or tumble dryer to run overnight when costs are low or charging your electric car during high winds can have a material impact on people's bills. 'At Ofgem we're opening up flexibility markets to bring better tariffs and products to consumers to make cheaper bills a reality.' The Government has also launched a two-month consultation looking at how more consumers can be supported to use energy flexibly.
