Latest news with #EDF
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Smart meters are a symbol of energy companies' contempt for customers
SIR – Christopher Howse ('The creeping tyranny of smart meters is a national disgrace', Comment, July 11) is not alone in having been let down by EDF. I too fell for its threats, although in my case the meter was at least fitted at the arranged time. Unfortunately, here in rural Wales, the signal is not reliable. I told EDF that my device was not working, to which it merely replied that this was a known fault – leaving me no better off than I was before I had it. I now have to take readings myself and submit them online each month. Kevin Cottrell Grosmont, Monmouthshire SIR – I can sympathise with Christopher Howse. I live in a first-floor flat with the electricity meters on the ground floor, and I too was browbeaten by EDF into having a smart meter installed. When the job was done, I asked for the meter display so that I could keep an eye on my use. I was told it would be sent to me. Several weeks passed, so I called EDF's customer service line and asked where my display was. I was told that, as my meter is on the ground floor and my flat is on the first floor, it would not work. Ian Carter Lytham St Annes, Lancashire SIR – I succumbed to EDF's badgering and agreed to have smart meters installed in the three blocks of flats that I manage. A date was set – but nobody came. No explanation, no apology. Joseph B Fox Redhill, Surrey SIR – In your article (''Not clear if heat pumps will save people money', government adviser admits', July 10), a spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says: 'The British people are showing record demand for heat pumps, which enable families to save around £100 a year by using a smart tariff.' The same article suggests that a heat pump can cost £13,000 to install. My maths may be rusty, but this equates to a pay-back time of 130 years. If the heat pump is anything like my fridge, though, it will only last 10 years before it needs replacing. Dr Andrew Slater Sedlescombe, East Sussex SIR – Heat pumps are at their most efficient in hot weather and their least efficient in cold weather. When are our homes more likely to require heating? Frank Smith Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire
Forbes
3 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Why MethaneSAT's Sudden Silence Should Concern Us All
An artist's rendering of MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to measure methane pollution around the ... More world. Why Methane Matters Methane is the second-most significant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, but it is far more potent in the short term, trapping over 80 times more heat than CO₂ over a 20-year period. It leaks from pipelines, fracking sites, livestock operations, and landfills, and plays a central role in accelerating global warming. The total yearly methane (CH4) emissions from human activities expressed as weight in megatonnes ... More (Mt) Unlike CO₂, however, methane breaks down relatively quickly in the atmosphere. That means cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reduce global temperatures in the near term. Watch my short explainer video on how we can cut methane emissions—and why reducing short-lived climate pollutants like methane could help cool the planet by up to 0.5°C in just a few decades. MethaneSAT was created to provide clear, independent, high-resolution data on where methane was leaking—and who was leaking it. It could single out individual oil fields and drill sites from orbit. And its early results were troubling: emissions from major oil and gas fields in North America and Central Asia were found to be several times higher than companies had officially reported. What MethaneSAT Managed to Expose Before Falling Silent A Sudden Silence The satellite's loss of contact came without warning. According to EDF, the satellite likely experienced a power failure, possibly due to issues with its onboard thruster system or the effects of solar activity. It may never be recovered. It's too early to draw conclusions. Space is inherently risky. But when a mission with this kind of potential—and this kind of impact—stops working just as it hits its stride, it raises difficult questions. Was it just bad luck? "I'm afraid they'll find a way to shut it down"Earlier this year, during a Zoom call to explore a potential collaboration between and MethaneSAT, I spoke with a high-level executive involved in the mission. During our conversation, the person said bluntly that they feared the satellite could be shut down. "I'm afraid they'll find a way to shut it down," they told me. The satellite ultimately failed due to what appears to be a technical issue. But the fact that such a fear could be voiced at all—that a scientific mission could be seen as politically vulnerable—speaks volumes about the world we now live in. A Broader Crisis in Climate Monitoring MethaneSAT's loss is not an isolated event. Many of the world's most important Earth-observing satellites are aging rapidly. NASA's Terra, Aqua, and Aura satellites, launched in the early 2000s, are nearing the end of their operational lifespans. By the end of this decade, most of them will likely be decommissioned. Yet there is no comprehensive replacement plan. Instead, U.S. political momentum is moving decisively in the opposite direction. The 2025 budget proposal from the House of Representatives includes dramatic cuts to Earth science programs at NASA and NOAA. These cuts threaten everything from climate monitoring to weather forecasting. At the very moment we need more eyes on the planet, we're pulling the plug. This week, every living NASA science chief—past and present—signed a joint letter opposing these cuts, warning that eliminating climate science capabilities at this stage would be 'flying blind into the storm.' And the assault goes even deeper. The Trump administration has also proposed shutting down the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, the lab that has measured atmospheric CO₂ continuously since 1958. This is the birthplace of the Keeling Curve—the iconic record that shows CO₂ rising from 313 parts per million to over 430 ppm today. It is the most conclusive, long-term evidence of human-caused climate change. And now, it too is on the chopping block. If enacted, these proposals would eliminate much of the U.S. greenhouse gas monitoring network, from northern Alaska to the South Pole. Transparency Under Threat MethaneSAT's data was being integrated into broader climate tracking initiatives, such as Climate TRACE—a groundbreaking project backed by former Vice President Al Gore that aggregates real-time emissions data from satellites and AI-driven analysis. As I detailed in my previous Forbes article, Al Gore's Real-Time Climate Data Just Went Live—Here's Why It Matters, TRACE represents a revolutionary leap in emissions accountability. But the loss of MethaneSAT creates a critical gap in this otherwise powerful global emissions surveillance network. The Fossil Gas Industry's Last Stand The Methane Regulation is an EU law passed in 2024 aimed at reducing methane emissions in the energy sector, especially from oil, gas, and coal. While it came into force in 2024, rules for importers start applying gradually, and full compliance is expected by 2026–2027, depending on the provision. Now, the European Commission is considering weakening the Methane Regulation, likely due to threats of tariffs coming from the Trump administration. The regulation doesn't ban imports—it just says that if you want to sell gas or oil to the EU, you have to measure, report, and reduce your methane emissions. Pretty reasonable, right? But now, of course, the fossil fuel industry shows up, teary-eyed, hat in hand, pleading for mercy. In an open letter this week, industry reps said the regulation is too complicated, the timelines are too tight, and the compliance burden is just too heavy. They're asking for a grace period, contract protections, and a delay in enforcement. Why? Because it's hard, they say, to figure out exactly where their fuel came from or what the emissions were. Because some EU member states haven't finished their national rulebooks. Because compliance might cost money. The fossil gas industry rakes in profits in the hundreds of billions of dollars every year. They've had plenty of time and capital to invest in tracking systems and cleaner infrastructure. Instead, many of them sat on the cash—or handed it out to shareholders—and now claim they're not ready. This regulation didn't come out of nowhere. The warning signs were clear. The legislation process was long. The deadlines were known. Most infuriating of all, this regulation simply asks companies to do what any responsible, ethical organization would be doing of their own accord. For decades, fossil fuel companies have externalized the cost of methane leakage—dumping a climate-damaging gas into the atmosphere while claiming their product is a clean 'bridge fuel.' This regulation is one of the first serious efforts to change that dynamic. It says: if you want access to the EU market, you have to take responsibility for your environmental footprint. Powerful Interests at Stake MethaneSAT's silence is undoubtedly welcomed by fossil fuel industries that stood to lose significantly from increased transparency and accountability. The disappearance of such detailed emissions data removes immediate pressure and scrutiny, allowing polluters to continue claiming to take action to curb emissions while doing nothing of the sort. Meanwhile, the planet's remaining carbon budget is rapidly running out. What's Next? We may never know exactly why MethaneSAT stopped transmitting. But its loss underscores a larger issue: our ability to monitor the Earth—our atmosphere, oceans, emissions—is being not just neglected, but deliberately defunded at a time when it should be rapidly expanding. Imagine a hospital losing its ability to scan a patient mid-diagnosis. Doctors would be blind to the progression of the disease, unable to treat or even assess it. The loss of MethaneSAT is the climate equivalent. Without precise, reliable data, efforts to track and mitigate global warming risk becoming guesswork. Meanwhile, critical climate infrastructure is being targeted elsewhere. The Trump administration's 2025 budget proposal seeks to shut down the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory—home of the Keeling Curve and the longest-running CO₂ record in the world. It would also defund NOAA's broader greenhouse gas monitoring network, threatening continuity in our core climate records. And yet, in just a few months of operation, MethaneSAT showed what's possible: near-real-time, high-resolution emissions data—independent, accessible, and globally impactful. The response to its failure should not be retreat, but reinforcement. Just because one satellite failed doesn't mean the mission failed. If anything, it proved how essential this kind of monitoring is. New satellites must be launched. Not eventually—now. Because we can't solve what we can't see. And we should never accept flying blind as the new normal.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major energy supplier is giving away up to 22 hours of FREE electricity from tomorrow – act now to get it
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE energy supplier is giving away up to 22 hours of free electricity to thousands of households this weekend. Customers will be able to get free energy on both Saturday and Sunday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Thousands of households can get up to 22 hours of free electricity this weekend Credit: Getty The scheme is part of EDF's Sunday Saver Challenges, which give customers the chance to earn free electricity on Sundays by changing when they use electricity during the week. To be eligible, customers needed to move their energy away from the weekday peak hours of 4-7pm this week. The more electricity customers shift away from these hours, the more free electricity they can earn, with between four and 16 hours up for grabs. The electricity is added as credit to your account. For example, if you move 50% of your peak usage outside of these hours, you could earn up to 16 hours of electricity to use this Sunday. You can earn these hours by not using your dishwasher or washing machine during peak times, for example. To be eligible for the free electricity you needed to have signed up for the challenge before June 1. But if you signed up for the challenge after this date, then do not worry. You can still get six hours of free electricity if you sign up for it before 11.59pm on July 11. EDF frequently launches these challenges so check your emails and the My Account page regularly to ensure you sign up for the next one. To do so, simply visit Next, go to the 'About Me' section, select 'Smart Meter Preferences' and choose the half-hourly option. You need a smart meter that can send readings every half hour, or you must be able to set it up for 30-minute reads. If you signed up you will get the free electricity tomorrow between 2pm and 8pm. If you registered for the June Sunday Saver challenge then you will also automatically get the six free hours on July 11. How to save on your energy bills SWITCHING energy providers can sound like a hassle - but fortunately it's pretty straight forward to change supplier - and save lots of cash. Shop around - If you're on an SVT deal you are likely throwing away up to £250 a year. Use a comparion site such as uSwitch or to see what deals are available to you. The cheapest deals are usually found online and are fixed deals - meaning you'll pay a fixed amount usually for 12 months. Switch - When you've found one, all you have to do is contact the new supplier. It helps to have the following information - which you can find on your bill - to hand to give the new supplier. Your postcode Name of your existing supplier Name of your existing deal and how much you payAn up-to-date meter reading It will then notify your current supplier and begin the switch. It should take no longer than three weeks to complete the switch and your supply won't be interrupted in that time. Sunday Saver participants have earned more than 10million hours of free electricity, which are worth more than £2million. EDF is not the only energy supplier that will give you free electricity. Next Next is giving new and existing customers free electricity during every bank holiday until March 2026. The next one is on the August Bank Holiday on August 25. Next had said the deal could save households £3.50 on every bank holiday - which adds up to around £21 over the course of a year. To be eligible, you need to sign up for the supplier's Pledge Tariff. The deal is fixed for a year and offers a rate that tracks below the Ofgem price cap, which is currently £1,720 a year for a typical household. Ovo Energy The energy supplier is giving households two hours of free electricity every week during the summer. The free electricity is available to customers who signed up to Ovo's free rewards programme, Ovo Beyond. The hours are available until August 31. You need to sign up before July 31 to get the deal. Every week, customers can choose when to use their free electricity at a range of weekday and weekend time slots. These include: 9am - 10am on specified weekdays 1pm - 2pm on specified weekdays 9pm - 10pm on specified weekdays 10am - 12pm Sundays The sessions avoid peak hours to help reduce pressure on the grid. You need to choose your time slot for the following week in a certain window. Customers need to sign up to the rewards through the Ovo app or their account. Ovo Energy customers are also being given the chance to win free energy if they cut their use during peak times. The Power Move offer gives customers the chance to win up to £20,000 of free energy if they reduce their energy use by 85% or more at off-peak times. For every month a customer's peak energy usage is less than 15% they are entered into a prize draw. Five customers win the top prize of £2,000 worth of energy to use over one year. Meanwhile, 150 win £50 prizes, 250 win £25 prizes and 45,000 will get £2 of free energy. To sign up, visit Octopus Energy Octopus Energy customers who register for Octoplus can take part in free electricity sessions when the wholesale price falls below zero. The sessions are an hour each and customers can use electricity and receive credits for using more electricity than normal. All customers with a smart meter, including smart prepayment meters, receive an alert the day before a session. When the sessions begin they can increase their energy usage, for example by running the washing machine or cooking. Any electricity they use beyond their normal usage is credited back to their account. Scottish Power Scottish Power's Power Saver scheme gives customers the chance to access half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every Saturday and Sunday. Customers need to sign up to become a Power Saver to get half of the cost of the energy they use during these hours refunded. The supplier has also launched an ad-hoc Power Saver event. You must have a smart meter to become a Power Saver. To sign up, visit the Scottish Power website. British Gas British Gas gives customers the chance to get half-price electricity with its Green Flex events. The energy giant runs the scheme when it is windy or sunny and lots of renewable energy is available. To sign up, customers need to be a British Gas customer, have a smart meter and register online for the PeakSave scheme. If you are already signed up for the scheme you do not need to do anything extra to cash in on the savings. All savings will appear as credit on customers' energy bills. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major energy supplier is giving away up to 22 hours of FREE electricity from tomorrow – act now to get it
A HUGE energy supplier is giving away up to 22 hours of free electricity to thousands of households this weekend. Customers will be able to get free energy on both Saturday and Sunday. 1 The scheme is part of EDF's Sunday Saver Challenges, which give customers the chance to earn free electricity on Sundays by changing when they use electricity during the week. To be eligible, customers needed to move their energy away from the weekday peak hours of 4-7pm this week. The more electricity customers shift away from these hours, the more free electricity they can earn, with between four and 16 hours up for grabs. The electricity is added as credit to your account. For example, if you move 50% of your peak usage outside of these hours, you could earn up to 16 hours of electricity to use this Sunday. You can earn these hours by not using your dishwasher or washing machine during peak times, for example. To be eligible for the free electricity you needed to have signed up for the challenge before June 1. But if you signed up for the challenge after this date, then do not worry. You can still get six hours of free electricity if you sign up for it before 11.59pm on July 11. EDF frequently launches these challenges so check your emails and the My Account page regularly to ensure you sign up for the next one. To do so, simply visit Next, go to the 'About Me' section, select 'Smart Meter Preferences' and choose the half-hourly option. You need a smart meter that can send readings every half hour, or you must be able to set it up for 30-minute reads. If you signed up you will get the free electricity tomorrow between 2pm and 8pm. If you registered for the June Sunday Saver challenge then you will also automatically get the six free hours on July 11. How to save on your energy bills SWITCHING energy providers can sound like a hassle - but fortunately it's pretty straight forward to change supplier - and save lots of cash. Shop around - If you're on an SVT deal you are likely throwing away up to £250 a year. Use a comparion site such as uSwitch or to see what deals are available to you. The cheapest deals are usually found online and are fixed deals - meaning you'll pay a fixed amount usually for 12 months. Switch - When you've found one, all you have to do is contact the new supplier. It helps to have the following information - which you can find on your bill - to hand to give the new supplier. Your postcode Name of your existing supplier Name of your existing deal and how much you payAn up-to-date meter reading It will then notify your current supplier and begin the switch. It should take no longer than three weeks to complete the switch and your supply won't be interrupted in that time. Sunday Saver participants have earned more than 10million hours of free electricity, which are worth more than £2million. EDF is not the only energy supplier that will give you free electricity. Next Next is giving new and existing customers free electricity during every bank holiday until March 2026. The next one is on the August Bank Holiday on August 25. Next had said the deal could save households £3.50 on every bank holiday - which adds up to around £21 over the course of a year. To be eligible, you need to sign up for the supplier's Pledge Tariff. The deal is fixed for a year and offers a rate that tracks below the Ofgem price cap, which is currently £1,720 a year for a typical household. Ovo Energy The energy supplier is giving households two hours of free electricity every week during the summer. The free electricity is available to customers who signed up to Ovo's free rewards programme, Ovo Beyond. The hours are available until August 31. You need to sign up before July 31 to get the deal. Every week, customers can choose when to use their free electricity at a range of weekday and weekend time slots. These include: 9am - 10am on specified weekdays 1pm - 2pm on specified weekdays 9pm - 10pm on specified weekdays 10am - 12pm Sundays The sessions avoid peak hours to help reduce pressure on the grid. You need to choose your time slot for the following week in a certain window. Customers need to sign up to the rewards through the Ovo app or their account. Ovo Energy customers are also being given the chance to win free energy if they cut their use during peak times. The Power Move offer gives customers the chance to win up to £20,000 of free energy if they reduce their energy use by 85% or more at off-peak times. For every month a customer's peak energy usage is less than 15% they are entered into a prize draw. Five customers win the top prize of £2,000 worth of energy to use over one year. Meanwhile, 150 win £50 prizes, 250 win £25 prizes and 45,000 will get £2 of free energy. To sign up, visit Octopus Energy Octopus Energy customers who register for Octoplus can take part in free electricity sessions when the wholesale price falls below zero. The sessions are an hour each and customers can use electricity and receive credits for using more electricity than normal. All customers with a smart meter, including smart prepayment meters, receive an alert the day before a session. When the sessions begin they can increase their energy usage, for example by running the washing machine or cooking. Any electricity they use beyond their normal usage is credited back to their account. Scottish Power Scottish Power's Power Saver scheme gives customers the chance to access half-price electricity between 11am and 4pm every Saturday and Sunday. Customers need to sign up to become a Power Saver to get half of the cost of the energy they use during these hours refunded. The supplier has also launched an ad-hoc Power Saver event. You must have a smart meter to become a Power Saver. To sign up, visit the Scottish Power website. British Gas British Gas gives customers the chance to get half-price electricity with its Green Flex events. The energy giant runs the scheme when it is windy or sunny and lots of renewable energy is available. To sign up, customers need to be a British Gas customer, have a smart meter and register online for the PeakSave scheme. If you are already signed up for the scheme you do not need to do anything extra to cash in on the savings. All savings will appear as credit on customers' energy bills.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Best day and time to charge your EV and save money with 'plunge pricing'
Brits driving electric vehicles (EVs) have been urged to charge their cars at specific times of the day and slash costs with a little-known tool known as 'plunge pricing' An expert has revealed when UK motorists should charge their electric vehicles (EVs) to secure significant savings. The EV market in the UK is growing rapidly, with 29,634 new Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) sold in January 2025 alone. The distinction between an EV and a BEV is exactly as it sounds — BEVs are solely powered by electricity stored in a battery, with no other power source, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), for example, also have petrol engines. The used market is also becoming more accessible, with one in three used EVs now available for under £20,000, opening up electric motoring to a wider range of drivers than ever before. As more people make the switchover to electric, understanding how to save money on charging becomes increasingly important. Richard Evans, head of technical services at webuyanycar, explained that the timing of your charging sessions plays a crucial role in cutting costs. He advises that EV owners pay less during off‑peak hours — roughly 1.30 am to 6.30 am during the summer and spring, or 12.30 am to 5.30 am during the autumn and winter. He advised that these are 'consistently the cheapest times to charge your car, especially with EV‑focused tariffs' and that utilising them can 'nearly halve your per-mile cost'. The expert continued: "Companies such as Next, Octopus Go, EDF and GoElectric offer off-peak rates as low as 6.7p to 9p per kWh, which can nearly halve your per‑mile cost." Richard's advice is backed by the latest tariffs available from major suppliers. For example, Next Drive offers a fixed off-peak rate of 6.7p per kWh between midnight and 7 am, and EDF 's GoElectric Overnight tariff delivers a 9p per kWh rate for five hours each night. Octopus Go also provides a rate of 8.5p per kWh from 12.30 am to 5.30 am, while Intelligent Octopus Go has rates as low as 7p per kWh for compatible vehicles and chargers. These off-peak rates are significantly lower than standard daytime rates — according to insurance experts over at WeCovr. The average cost of on-peak home EV charging is around 27.43p per kWh — making overnight charging the most cost-effective option for the majority of EV owners. Beyond these regular off-peak savings, the expert highlighted another opportunity for even greater reductions in EV charging costs — 'plunge pricing'. As Richard explained: "Some energy companies will also offer 'plunge pricing', which is a special discount on public charging when energy supply is extra high. This allows EV drivers to choose which day to charge their car based on when they know there will be cheaper energy prices. Typically, plunge pricing offers are mid-week from Tuesday to Thursday." What is plunge pricing? Plunge pricing is triggered by a surplus of renewable energy on the grid, often due to high wind or solar generation and low demand. During these periods, companies notify their customers of special events where charging rates can be massively discounted — in exceptional circumstances, EV drivers could even be paid to charge their vehicles. Octopus Energy released a statement last year reading: "Electric car drivers in Britain can benefit from cheaper public charging when green energy is abundant thanks to a groundbreaking innovation from Octopus Electroverse. 'Plunge Pricing' events happen when cheap renewable generation is high and demand is low, so wholesale electricity prices fall. Drivers using Octopus' Electroverse get discounts for taking excess energy off the grid at these sunny and windy times. "Electroverse has so far trialled five of these events at over 7,500 charge points across brands like IONITY, Osprey, Blink, GeniePoint and Raw. Discounts to date have ranged from 15 per cent to 45 per cent per kWh. There is even potential in the future for drivers to get paid to charge up their car when wholesale prices go negative." Notifications for upcoming plunge pricing events are generally sent out via apps like Octopus Electroverse, giving EV drivers direct access to discounted rates at over 700,000 public chargers across the UK and Europe.
