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YouGen Blog
Does your energy supplier owe you money?
Posted by Sam Tonge on 23 May 2018 at 10:04 am
Earlier this month it was revealed that Npower are to raise their energy prices by an average of 5.3% (£64 a year) for consumers. This move follows earlier price rises announced last month by British Gas (5.5%) and EDF (2.7% for electricity). Npower blame the price increase on policy an…
Renewable Heat Incentive reforms come into force
Posted by Sam Tonge on 16 May 2018 at 9:31 am
During February 2018, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published a second round of draft regulations which covered plans to reform aspects of both the Domestic and Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) schemes. It's been announced this week that the…
Scotland's clean energy revolution
Posted by Alison Vickers on 9 May 2018 at 9:24 am
The Climate Change Act (2008) mandates carbon emission cuts of 80% (from 1990 baseline) across the UK by 2050. However, our current progress calls into question whether the UK will achieve this goal. We also have an additional EU target of producing 15% of total energy from renewables by 2020. Ho…
Green is now mainstream - record support for green energy in UK communities
Posted by Sam Tonge on 2 May 2018 at 2:50 pm
A UK Government survey has found that the number of people supporting renewables has hit record levels. The 25th survey of the Energy and Climate Change Public Attitudes Tracker (PAT) revealed that individual backing for the use of renewable energy reached a record of 85% - a marked increase …
Pigeons under the panels - what can you do to protect your roof-mounted solar PV?
Posted by Sam Tonge on 24 April 2018 at 9:34 am
So you’ve recently had solar PV installed on the roof of your home. It’s looking clean and shiny and is all ready to cut your bills and carbon footprint. You’d be justified in thinking that your new source of renewable electricity would be the envy of your neighbours. However, i…
Get smart about smart meters
Posted by Sam Tonge on 16 April 2018 at 10:36 am
A smart meter can provide you with a detailed breakdown of your gas and electricity usage and costs in real time, best viewed through a linked in-home display. The meter puts an end to the laborious process of estimated billing by feeding your supplier your usage data automatically, meaning…
'The Northern Renewable Powerhouse': How councils in the midlands & north are leading the way in green energy
Posted by Sam Tonge on 9 April 2018 at 11:51 am
It’s fair to say that 2017 contained many a green milestone in the UK’s journey towards greener forms of energy. It seems that now is the ideal time to mention that it is no longer solely the responsibility of households to make the leap to sustainable energy. An increasing number of …
Renewable energy for businesses - making the sums add up
Posted by Daniel Bailey on 26 March 2018 at 10:04 am
For a company pondering a shift to renewable energy technology, the reputational benefits are as obvious - and ever-present - as Britain’s supply of wind. But with Brexit blowing a chilly blast of uncertainty across corporate Britain, many businesses are battening down the hatches and d…
Solar PV Inverter: Should you replace it?
Posted by Faisal Hussain (HIES Scheme) on 21 March 2018 at 10:10 am
Here at YouGen we’re producing a blog series which look at some examples of ‘mis-selling’, used by a small number of rogue traders in the renewables and energy efficiency industry. Although mis-selling is a trend which appears to be on the increase, there are also rising numbers…
The energy to sustain Blockchain - where does it come from?
Posted by Shea Karssing on 14 March 2018 at 12:15 pm
Bitcoin electricity concerns are growing. Even though the value of the cryptocurrency has stumbled in recent months, the demand for energy-intensive mines remains. What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a new currency that was created in 2009. Much of the hype around bitcoin relates to the trading o…
Mis-selling of solar PV equipment - how to spot the signs
Posted by Aleksandra Klassen (STA) on 2 March 2018 at 12:30 pm
Here at YouGen we’re producing a blog series which look at some examples of ‘mis-selling’, used by a small number of rogue traders in the renewables and energy efficiency industry. Although mis-selling is a trend which appears to be on the increase, there are also rising numbers…
How the Feed-in-Tariff ending in April 2019 could affect you
Posted by Sam Tonge on 27 February 2018 at 11:35 am
Update: You can view the consultation here which confirms closing of both the Generation and Export Tariff to new applicants from 1st April 2019. This consultation ran from 19 July 2018 to 13 September 2018. The Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) is a Government scheme designed to promote the …
Switching energy suppliers - busting the myths which cost us dearly
Posted by Alison Vickers on 21 February 2018 at 3:15 pm
When it comes to the necessary evil that is a fuel bill, are you happy to pay it without giving so much as a second thought? Or perhaps you’ve considered whether you might be paying over the odds for your energy but feel daunted by the process of switching suppliers. Figures from Energy UK …
How important reforms to the Renewable Heat Incentive will affect homeowners
Posted by Sam Tonge on 13 February 2018 at 11:10 am
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a scheme designed to pay microgenerators for heat produced from their renewable sources of energy. Open to home and business owners (known retrospectively as the domestic and non-domestic RHI), the switch to greener heating systems via the scheme is designed …
Energy performance of private rented homes - why a £2500 cost cap is too low
Posted by Alison Vickers on 7 February 2018 at 3:06 pm
As you may already know, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required whenever a property is built, sold or rented under the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012. An EPC illustrates a property’s energy use and costs, as well as providing recommendation…
'Add-on' equipment for solar PV: an opportunity but beware of possible pitfalls
Posted by Lorraine Haskell (RECC) on 30 January 2018 at 10:44 am
Here at YouGen we’re producing a blog series which look at some examples of ‘mis-selling’, used by a small number of rogue traders in the renewables and energy efficiency industry. Although mis-selling is a trend which appears to be on the increase, there are also rising numbers…
Air Source Heat Pump: Is it right for your home?
Posted by Faisal Hussain (HIES Scheme) on 24 January 2018 at 9:30 am
Much of the UK has been feeling the cold during these past few months which means many of us are now leaving our heating on for longer periods of time, which of course is going to hit our pockets. So, the question is how can we keep our homes warm without significantly increasing our energy bills…
Meet the solar project powering the local community in more ways than one
Posted by Alison Vickers on 17 January 2018 at 10:16 am
Here at YouGen we love to hear about your inspiring success stories when it comes to setting up grassroots energy projects within local communities. We would take this opportunity to tell you the story of a community energy project in Buckinghamshire coordinated by our parent charity, The Nationa…
Five green New Year's Resolutions to kick start 2018
Posted by Sam Tonge on 10 January 2018 at 10:20 am
A New Year represents a fresh start for many, with our desire for self-improvement often characterised through the New Year’s Resolutions we set ourselves. Figures suggest roughly 50% of us set these resolutions each January, with the three most common goals typically being to exercise more…
Marks & Spencer Energy Fund powers communities in more ways than one in 2017
Posted by Sam Tonge on 3 January 2018 at 9:16 am
2017 was another outstanding year for community schemes that have benefited from the Marks and Spencer Energy Fund. Last year the fund allocated £300,000 worth of grant money to local energy projects across the UK. With over 130,000 votes taking place, the winners last year included com…
