www.segra.org

SEGRA was formed in 1997 with the advent of the deregulation of the UK Energy Industries. It now has more that 100 members and is an influential regulated body governing the reselling of Gas and Electricity in the UK to almost 35 million consumers.

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SEGRA’s code of practice

This covers how energy companies and salespeople must behave when selling gas and electricity ‘face-to-face’ (for example, in your home or in a shopping centre). The guidelines say, among other things, that energy salespeople:

• can call at your home only between 9am and 8pm (unless you ask for a visit outside these times)
• must say who they are and show you a valid identity card
• must do their best to make sure you understand any contract you’ve signed, and your right to cancel
• must not exploit consumers, give them false information or use high-pressure sales tactics
• must leave your home if you ask them to.

Also, if an energy salesperson has forged a signature on your contract, you are entitled to £250 compensation.

A full copy of the code is available from the Energy Retail Association website. All energy sales agents must be accredited by this code and can be dismissed or even ‘struck off’ as a member if they breach it. If you think that a sales agent has broken the code of practice, contact the energy supplier and tell them why.

Doorstep Selling Regulations

If you sign up to a new energy supplier when a salesperson calls at your home, the Doorstep Selling Regulations give you a seven-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel your contract.

But this applies only to unsolicited visits, which means if an energy salesperson calls at your home uninvited or phones you and you agree for them to visit. It doesn’t apply if you make the first move and ask an energy salesperson to visit you.

The energy salesperson must tell you about the cooling-off period. It’s a criminal offence to breach these regulations, and doing so can result in a fine of up to £2,500.

If a doorstep energy salesperson won’t allow you to cancel within the seven days, or you think they’ve broken the regulations in another way, contact your local trading standards department.

If you’re switched to a new energy supplier by mistake

If you have been switched by mistake, the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter sets out what the suppliers should do to put things right. It says:

• you can contact either the original or the new energy supplier – they share equal responsibility for resolving the problem
• the energy supplier you contact should explain clearly what action they’re going to take and keep you updated with progress
• you should receive written confirmation of the details provided above within five working days of first contacting the energy supplier
• within 20 working days you should receive confirmation that you are being returned to your original supplier
• you shouldn’t have to pay any bills from the ‘new’ energy supplier – you’ll just get a bill at the end from your original energy supplier.

If you think that an energy supplier has breached this code, contact your energy supplier in the first instance and follow its complaints process. If the problem is not resolved satisfactorily, contact Consumer Direct for further advice on how to proceed. You can also have your problem referred to the Energy Services Ombudsman if the case isn’t resolved after eight weeks or you reach a ‘deadlock’ situation (see our How to complain section). Vulnerable consumers can also enlist the help of energy industry watchdog Consumer Focus.

Energy efficient lighting not only contributes to a better environment but also saves huge energy costs. By retrofitting lights you can upgrade your existing lighting system to more energy efficient one. LED retrofit is about replacing certain parts of the lighting system with others that make more sense, with respect to saving energy.

Energy savings may not be apparent immediately, but are realized only over a period of time. The savings that occur over the life time of the energy efficient device is sufficient to pay for the cost of the equipment and generate further returns.

LED retrofit technology is becoming more and more popular as a relatively straightforward and simple solution for energy savings. Commercial facilities and cities use a lot of power and the modern lifestyle also does not make it easy to reduce energy consumption. But just by adopting the LED retrofit lighting system in your office or home, you can contribute a great deal to making the planet just a little bit greener as well as reduce your energy consumption cost.

The ordinary lighting fixtures that are installed in homes and offices consume a lot of energy. Homeowners can make a wise investment towards lighting retrofit and save energy costs by more than 40%. It is estimated that if all the buildings in the US were to be upgraded to the LED retrofit lighting system, the demand for electricity can be reduced by over 30% and energy savings of above $250 billion can be made.

If you conduct an energy audit, you will understand how much energy is being wasted in your home or office, and how much savings can be made by switching to a more energy efficient technology. Retrofitting ensures guaranteed cost savings as well as positive cash flow.

An LED retrofit lighting system is expected to have a payback period of 3 years and a return of slightly above 30% can be expected. This is considering the cost of retrofit equipment, installation and maintenance.

The US Department of Energy conducted a study which found that 50% energy savings can be made in a cost-effective way by retrofitting walkway lighting. This can be achieved while still easily meeting the minimum recommended illumination levels for walkways.

LED fixtures cost more to purchase than the traditional light sources. There are many factors that contribute to the effective and economic performance of LEDs, so a range of payback scenarios exist. But a lower wattage luminaire significantly reduces the payback period. Keeping an eye on the desired level of illumination and selecting the least wattage that will help you achieve that is the best way to reduce the payback period.

LED retrofits are now available for display lighting, underwater lighting, cove lighting, residential and office space lighting, architectural details and other lighting applications. The technology is also dramatically improving at a rapid pace. Along with improvement in the chip performance and reduction in price, the payback periods of LED retrofits will continue to come down.

What is it like to live “off the grid”? Must one eschew all modern conveniences, forego the television, the microwave, the home computer?  Is it necessary to live beyond the physical “grid”, out in the blazing sun of the desert, or high up North where the summer sun never sets? Perish the thought! The reality of living “off the grid”, or becoming a “distributed generator” of one’s own electricity is far from the urban myth of an isolated, neo-luddite existence.

National Green Power, a green energy solution center, has first-hand knowledge and experience about what it means to be a “distributed generator”. They are proud supporters of this power supply model, where regular users of electricity use solar panels for homes and/or wind-generated power to meet their home heating, cooling and power needs.

As the renewable energy movement grows, so has the demand for the kinds of services that National Green Power offers. Their knowledgeable team of green energy experts start with a full Home Energy Audit. They thoroughly examine and assess how much energy a home uses and waste, and then evaluate the green energy options available to improve energy efficiency and use alternative sources of power. Many customers are happily surprised to learn that after the reasonable costs of equipment purchase and installation, they can reduce their home utility costs by as much as 90%. The long-term cost savings far outweigh the initial capital outlay.

One of their most popular solutions is to recommend solar panels for homes. Solar panels are covered with solar photovoltaics, arrangements of cells which contain a material for converting solar energy into electricity. Even a small amount of sunlight will produce energy that can be converted to electricity which can power a home. The idea of requiring hours and hours of hard, direct sunlight in order to produce useable energy is a myth. If there is sun, there is solar energy!  Solar panels for homes can be mounted in many creative ways, including on rooftops, car ports and on pole-mounted arrays. Indeed, with a little extra space, solar panels for homes can be adapted to many different environments.

Beyond designing green energy systems, National Green Power recommends and retails the specific equipment required to make a design into a reality.  They offer a variety of solar panels for homes by top-name manufacturers. As well, consumers are able to purchase solar thermal systems for heating water and power-saving circuit systems for managing electricity use.

National Green Power is proud to offer services that help customers make use of the most cost-effective, green solutions possible. They offer consultation services for residential, commercial and industrial customers, making sure that the design of any green solution meets the power demands of each system.

For more information about efficient green energy solutions, visit NationalGreenPower.

As we all know that Sun is the ultimate source of energy and is available in profusion. It is a renewable supply of energy. The solar energy is attained from sunlight and it is freely and is hugely available in almost all sections of the globe. Wind and Water are the other two intrinsic sources of energy that are hugely available in atmosphere. We must never forget to appreciate Almighty for these precious renewable innate sources of energy that has made life viable on earth. We should save energy and know the value of it. Solar Energy is unlimited and freely available intrinsic energy which is eco-friendly as it does not pollute the environment nor does it emit greenhouse fumes. The solar power obtained from solar energy is a boon in our lives as it compensates the total or partial energy consumption. It not only assists you to supply solar power but also saves a great sum paid on power bills. The solar PV panels that are installed on the terraces are of great benefit as it has low maintenance and is highly useful. The solar electricity is used to operate a number of electronic machinery like TV, computers, lamps, fans, refrigerators, lights, and all other appliances that are used for day-to-day purposes. By fixing solar cooker or a solar heater you can attain great advantages as your electric bills are cut down tremendously. Hot or warm water used for daily needs like in bathrooms or swimming pools assists you to save on huge electricity bills. There are a number of companies that present you efficient solar equipments to successfully trap solar energy and change it to electric energy and use it for various purposes. Solar energy that is used for homely purposes is nothing but homemade energy and can be of huge help to save our mother earth for future generation. These industries provide a thorough layout and prove to be an ideal guide to create homemade solar power and wind power. Not just this but the solar power industries offer great details of installation with images of step by step development. It even assures environmental safety as it does not release dangerous gases that contaminate the environment and add to global warming. You are greatly contented by the working of homemade energy at affordable charges. This not just assists you to attain a good deal and save a good deal on installation but is also beneficial throughout as it brings down your electric bill tremendously low. Isn’t it a good idea to hoard a huge sum of money in today’s hard money market? Contribute for a noble reason by saving this world for our next generations to come. Hence, to hoard a good sum of money it is sensible to change over to homemade energy as it highly reduces your electricity bill and save the World. Don’t waste money on huge electricity bills, be sensible and think about homemade energy and start producing your own electric power. Solar energy is an old concept but is successfully used now-a-days to make the most out of this innate energy obtained from Sun. Achieve maximum benefits from the divine body-Sun and contribute to save our planet. Opt for homemade energy and lead a stress free life in future as you are certain to save a good amount of money and it is a good idea as you never know what your future stores for you, so save money wisely by homemade energy.

All the advances in green energy technology, creating your own solar energy for your homeis easier than ever has been. A green energy home utilizes renewable resources to provide electricity, hot water, heat and peace of mind. Which in turn will help you save on all your utility costs year round.  

There are numorous ways to implement your green energy home plan and start saving on your costs. The first is solar energy.  In a green energy home you can install solar hot water panels which heat and store water for use and you can install solar panels, which use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. These can very costly especially when getting it installed by a professional. But, there are many different resources out there that will teach you how to do it yourself for a fraction of what the cost would be.

 If you are just building your home, a great way to make it a green energy home is to implement passive solar design during construction.  This means taking advantage of south facing sides of the house for heating and cooling.  By installing lots of highly efficient windows and heat retaining bricks and stone on your south facing areas, you are taking advantage of passive solar techniques to develop your green energy home.

Another addition to the green energy home would be a windmill. Windmills are used to generate electricity from the renewable resource wind.  Windmills can be installed on rooftops or in yards and offer pollution free electric.  Windmills can be purchased from retailers or there are a wide variety of affordable kits available for the motivated do-it-yourselfers to handle the implementation of their own green energy home plans. By doing the installation yourself, you will be saving alot and will also be making your home a greener home and create free energy that will always be there.  

The ultimate green energy home would combine all of these resources.  By using wind, water and solar to generate electricity you will be cutting on the costs for your utlities, but you will also be conserving our natural resources for the future and will be making it a greener place while cutting on global warming as well.  To further combine passive solar design and solar hot water systems, you are reducing your energy needs massively and will create a greener future for you and the future for your children and theirs, etc….

A green energy home doesn’t require more maintenance than traditional homes. Actually, in some ways, a greener home requires less maintenance then traditional homes and if needed the maintenance would be half the cost. Solar technologies require little to no maintenance and wind and water turbines require only regular oiling for optimum performance.  There is no better time to create your HOME MADE ENERGY and start saving on your energy costs.

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As gas and energy prices are rising again, that means Americans must tighten up their belts even further. In the winter you don’t need to dread the drop in the temps, ceilings fans can help you adjust your thermostats to save you dollars. You don’t need to dread hot summer temps and high air conditioning bills either when you have ceiling fans, your AC’s best friend!

If you already have ceiling fans in place, check to see whether they are Energy Star qualified. Ceiling fan/light combinations that have earned Energy Star accreditation are about 50 percent more efficient than non-conforming units. The difference lies in improved motors and blade designs. A model with an Energy Star light kit included provides even greater energy savings, and the bulbs don’t need to be changed as often.

Consumer demand for more energy-efficient ceiling fans and lighting products has driven the ceiling fan industry to integrate new ceiling fan lighting, ceiling fan blade and ceiling fan motor technologies that save operating costs. New products integrating the latest technologies are up to 75 percent more efficient than previous ceiling fan models.

Put your ceiling fans on when you are in the room during the day and when sleeping and turn your ceiling fans off when you leave. Ceiling fans cool people, not air. Using ceiling fans wisely while turning down the AC can save a lot of money visa a versa in the winter for your heater. Ceiling fans do such an efficient job of circulating air, they probably should be everywhere in your home. Any type of room can benefit, bedrooms, family rooms, and exterior living spaces are the most common applications, but we are seeing them used more in larger bathrooms, walk-in closets, home offices and garages.

Size Matters, consumers are installing ceiling fans throughout their homes, for example, fans with blade spans of 54, 60, and 72 inches are increasingly popular for living rooms and great rooms, while those with 24-inch spans are being installed in hallways and walk-in closets. How do you estimate the best size of ceiling fans for your needs? A good rule of thumb is a 36- to 52-inch diameter blade sweep for rooms measuring 200 square feet or less, are recommended by the ceiling fan experts, For rooms 200 to 400 square feet, we recommend ceiling fans have a diameter of 52 inches or greater; if the space is more than 400 square feet, two or more ceiling fans will be needed.

The number of blades makes some but little difference in airflow, however, whether to choose a four-, five-, or six-blade version is really a matter of aesthetics. You hear a lot about ceiling fans blade pitch, diameter and motor size. These are factors that will affect airflow, the greater the pitch of the blades on your ceiling fans the greater the airflow.

It’s important not to underestimate your ceiling fans. The most common size of ceiling fans sold in the U.S. is a 52-inch diameter. This size ceiling fans provides excellent results in rooms up to 150 square feet, but can also be appropriate for smaller rooms since the 52″ size ceiling fans can be adjusted with multiple speeds and the direction of the blades can be reversed, unlike some of the other smaller blade span ceiling fans. “It’s better to choose a slightly larger fan for a room than to choose a diameter that might prove to be too small to adequately provide air movement.

Many ceiling fans now come with integrated lighting or light kits, these all in one ceiling fans, offer a coordinating light kit available as an option. These lights do not offer enough illumination on their own, but they are useful in a room that already has some form of ambient lighting. Ceiling fans with lights should be considered as accent and mood lighting.

Should a Ceiling Fan Blend In or Stand Out?

The next step to consider is whether you’d like your ceiling fans to serve as a focal point or be more understated. The question is should your ceiling fans blend in or stand out? Is the room contemporary, traditional, tropical or transitional? Ceiling fans can serve as a design feature. The primary trend in ceiling fan design has been for styles that create aesthetic statements as bold as a chandelier. This follows the overall trend in residential design for more varied and more sophisticated concepts. Today a consumer can find a ceiling fan that matches any interior design.

In the summer, ceiling fans offer a comfortable alternative and accompaniment to air conditioning, but in the winter employing the reversible blade option provides a means of circulating the hotter air that rises to the ceiling. This helps save on heating bills when the weather gets cold. Ceiling fans do help in the winter months too.

When considering the many sources of renewable energy that could help reduce the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels, much consideration must be give to geothermal energy.  Geothermal energy is entirely clean and does not pose the health risks associated with the harvesting, use, and burning of fossil fuels.  It is an affordable and sustainable option, something that should be given great consideration as a viable alternative.

Geothermal energy is simply the heat given off by the earth itself.  The core of the earth contains a layer of magma that continually produces heat.  This heat is produced by the decay of radioactive materials such as uranium, and over fifty thousand times more energy than contained by all of our oil and natural gas resources can be found in only a 33,000 foot radius of the earth’s surface.

Currently, the most common method of harvesting geothermal energy is by tapping into geothermal springs.  In these springs, cooler water seeps into the ground, only to be heated through convection and rise to the surface as steam.  This steam is collected and used to power electricity generators.  Many power plants drill into the earth in order to capture steam more effectively and in greater quantities.

Many geothermal reservoirs have been discovered across the globe, each with the capacity to produce as much energy as a thousand wind power plants.  There is currently much research taking part on a global scale to find effective and safe ways to tap into and utilize this energy.  The biggest hindrance to mass geothermal energy use has been the buildup of silica inside wells at geothermal power plants.  Because researchers have recently found ways to help control this costly problem that has long been the biggest barrier to widespread use of geothermal energy, there is much hope that this form of energy will finally receive the attention and consideration it deserves.

With the discovery of a way to control silica buildup comes the hope that the energy committees will invest more research and money into geothermal energy, which promises to be both inexpensive and one of the cleanest energy sources available.  Over sixty million people worldwide receive their electricity from geothermal power plants, with over four million of those people residing in the United States.  Supporters of geothermal industry hope to see that number rise significantly in the coming years, as the process becomes more efficient in regards to both finances and energy production.

In short, tapping into the earth to harvest geothermal energy is by far one of the most sustainable methods of acquiring energy available.  The earth’s core is a constant supply of energy, with no risk of depletion and no harmful emissions.  Much research should be put into geothermal energy to find the best possible methods of bringing the technology to the greatest number of people, creating energy independence and eliminating the need for fossil fuels in the production of electricity.

The usage of natural gas energy has rendered methods of energy generation like wind power, virtually outdated. More people are content with using natural energy methods rather than wind energy generation methods. Studies have shown that there has been a 75% slow down in the number of people who used to generate energy through wind power. The primary advantage of natural gas energy methods is that they are very cheap. Even though there was a prediction that green energy industries will see a boom in the number of jobs this year, there have been mass lay-offs which have resulted in the disinterest of people.

Since the natural gas energy methods are cheaper as compared to other alternatives, most people are opting for it. The green energy projects are not able to compete with the sudden fall in prices and are being rendered the less preferred of the two. Since there is a recession going on, most companies are taking up natural gas energy rather than solar or wind power because of the high initial cost. Another fact is that many new gas reserves have been found in the last year and a half which has further helped in reducing the price.

Many investors are disinterested in investing money in projects which will take lots of time as well as cost more. Wind power requires a lot of investment and ongoing maintenance work as well which outs a lot of financial pressure on the investors. In these times of recession, it is only logical that they try to cut down on the expenses as much as possible. Natural gas energy reserves are being discovered all over the world and this has resulted in a global crisis for wind power projects. The low cost of investment helps in cutting down losses in this recession struck period.

If you are tired of electric bills and you are interested in finding out about getting lower electricity cost then you must read the following – it may surprise you. I’ll begin with the news that you yourself can make more than enough electrical power to run every appliance in your home, with very little investment, and with no help – how can this be? I suggest you read on and you can decide for yourself.

You see, most people get their power supply from the power company; they struggle to pay the high prices and often have to economize elsewhere in order to have such a household staple. On the other hand, there are people who decided that enough is enough, they were fed up with expensive and unnecessary power bills – they realized they could use green technology to generate infinite free energy that would supply all their power requirements.

As you proceed with your research in the area of getting lower electricity cost take into consideration the fact that anyone can easily get set up with this; with very little time and effort, you can be using your own free, green energy – all it takes is a desire to save money! So you’re probably eager to get in on all the details as to what is involved here; let me explain – it’s just a technique for transforming the energy that is found all around is into free and usable electricity. Do you realize that just about anyone can set up a personal energy generator using sun and wind power in several days right in their own yard?

Although you might only care at the moment about getting lower electricity cost you must realize that it is very feasible to build your own power supply system that can actually decrease your electric bills by as much as 100%! This might sound like a very difficult and very costly process; just recently the whole thing has gotten much more accessible – it seems that there is one renewable energy expert and a pioneer in this field who discovered a way to make this accessible to anyone.

There is only one sure way to make your home energy efficient especially during the winter and that is insulating it. Home insulation is just like putting heating blanket inside your house and with the use of effective insulating materials you can really save up to 20 to 30 percent of your electricity bill from your heating and aside from that your families are well protected and free from cold and diseases. There are two common types of insulation materials used for homes which are usually effective and these are the fiberglass batts and the mineral wool. Fiberglass insulation batts are snugly installed between wall studs or on ceiling joists or on the floor. Mineral wool or also known as rock wool is much like fiberglass batts but it is firmer and more resistant to water and fire. These two materials are very good insulation materials on walls and floors but how about the insulation for your doors and windows? For sure there is heat coming out of them especially if these fixtures have only single panes. This is where double glazing advice comes to support.

Saving on Energy with Those Windows

The best way so far in insulating our windows and doors is to use double glazing panes on them. It has been proven that because double glazed materials can keep the heat from escaping through these fixtures it can save us more energy for our heating requirement Double glazing serve as second layer of protection for our glass windows and doors thus greatly minimizing the lost of heat and put our heaters operating at optimum level. So far the best advice for homeowners is to invest on this type of insulation and let double glazing advice guide them for more efficient energy consumption. The method of double glazing is simple. It works by trapping air between two panes of glasses and these air will serve as the insulating barrier which will prevent the lost of heat and prevent condensation from entering our house either. Properly secured glazing can also serve as noise barriers.

Double glazing is now becoming popular on countries where climate become severely cold during winter. They are now common fixtures on schools, offices, churches, hospitals and even homes for the aged and young children because incidentally they can maintain heat to the room and keep the establishments from paying too much on their energy consumption. You should always look for double glazing advice from the internet or from home improvement magazines because from time to time new innovations are published. In the UK and some parts of the US, double glazing becomes a requirement because these countries are now proceeding on laws that encourage saving up on energy. It becomes part of the Home Information Packs that windows and doors must be properly secured so that energy use during winter is kept at efficient level and the best way to do this is by employing double glazing on these fixtures. Double glazed windows and doors serve as assets of the house and they can last for years so they are considered long term investment for homes. Your house

Air conditioning is actually a strange concept when you think about it. Some of the most popular air conditioners create a cold feeling by pulling the heat out of hot air as opposed to simply producing cold air. The results are still the same: refreshing cool air. This method of air conditioning actually uses less electricity than other methods, so making it solar powered makes it the perfect eco-friendly system.

The way that heat ends up producing cold air is because these air conditioners use hot water as their means of energy. This energy is then transferred into the cold air that comes out of the system. Typically the type of heat that an AC uses comes from gas boilers or the leftover heat from generators, but with the advances in solar technology the heat can now come directly from the sun. This means that the electricity used to power the heating source before no longer becomes necessary at all.

Trapping the heat from the sun is a simple process with the right tools. Solar panels absorb the heat from the sun in the form of thermal energy. That thermal energy is then delivered into the heart of the air conditioner where a ‘chiller’ is set up to cool off the air. There are different kinds of solar cooling systems and while they all basically work the same way they each have unique attributes that may make them more appropriate in different settings.

So what does this new technology mean for the environment? For one thing, it means that there will be less dangerous chemicals released into the air. All solar powered air conditioners and cooling systems run on chilling solutions that are made with limited amounts of hazardous chemicals such as Freon and other toxic materials. It also means less gases and pollutants getting into the air because energy is being conserved. The less energy that is used overall, the less energy power plants need to produce. On top of that, most of these cooling systems are very careful to create these systems with durable materials that won’t corrode over time.

When it comes to how the consumer is affected, being able to use a solar air cooling system means saving money. The initial installation costs can be over a thousand dollars, but over the years the energy it saves will return the investment and then be nothing but extra money. This is especially true for the solar cooling systems that can also be used for heating in the winter.

Using solar power to run an air conditioner was a great idea because the time when people are using their ACs is the time when the sun produces the most heat. These new systems kill two birds with one stone by cooling off homes and doing so in a much more natural way than conventional air conditioning systems. It’s another step towards creating zero energy homes and self-sustaining energy systems. This is a great example of how people can produce things that save the environment when they really try.