Tune in to hear an up-to-date discussion to make sense of the confusion in the market surrounding smart meters, in home displays and how to get the best from your home renewables.
See link below for podcast dated 23rd of May 2012.
The Rt Hon Vince Cable MP and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has formed the Entrepreneurs’’ Forum to provide advice on about enterprise policy and new small businesses. Tanya will bring a wealth of information and knowledge about Ewgeco’s successes and experiences to his team along with other entrepreneurs such as James Caan of Dragon’s Den.
Ewgeco is keen to support this new growth initiative from BIS, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills that launched amid much fanfare on 23rd May 2012.
Tanya Ewing, Ewgeco’s founder, commented that “Scottish Enterprise had a similar scheme called ‘growth in leadership,’ which has been pivotal to Ewgeco’s success, helping drive us to our current success and sustained growth.
800 companies have already joined the programme and it is anticipated that 26,000 will have joined over the next three years
The government’s draft energy bill due out later, designed to encourage major investment in clean energy generation, could result in higher consumer bills, critics have said.
The bill is expected to outline long-term contracts to encourage investment in nuclear and renewable energy.
But Energy Secretary Ed Davey told the BBC these did not amount to public subsidies for new nuclear plants.
He said bills would be even higher if the new measures were not introduced.
The government needs to increase energy capacity to compensate for the closure of a number of coal and nuclear plants, and to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported gas.
“We need to make sure the bias towards gas is dealt with… and that low carbon sources can compete on a level playing field,” Mr Davey said.
“With nuclear capacity and coal capacity coming offline, we need a market structure to keep the lights on. To get investment, we need to give investors certainty that will lower the cost of capital.
“There will be no blank cheque for nuclear – unless they are price competitive, nuclear projects will not go ahead.”
State subsidies for nuclear plants are illegal in the European Union, and guaranteed contracts for energy suppliers are seen by some as a way around these laws.
Mr Davey conceded that energy bills could increase as a result of these contracts, but said bills would rise even more without them due to the rising cost of imported wholesale gas. Producing our own energy, Mr Davey said, would help to keep prices down.
Npower chief executive Volker Beckers told the BBC the impact on domestic fuel bills was unclear.
Green business news – by Louise Bateman
16th May 2012
Scottish energy management firm, Ewgeco, is embarking on an expansion drive to bring its pioneering real-time energy display monitoring system to businesses across the UK.
Ewgeco has secured nearly £1 million of new investment that will help fuel the expansion drive. The Edinburgh-based company’s award-winning, patented ‘traffic-light’ display energy system was originally designed to cut energy costs and consumption in homes, but Ewgeco is now looking to deploy it at scale across businesses.
“In a tough economic climate businesses are constantly looking at cost saving measures and our products can deliver results with an average payback of 12 months,” George McGhee, chief executive of Ewgeco, said.
New funding
The new funding has been raised through Archangel Informal Investments and Scottish Enterprise, through the Scottish Investment Bank’s Scottish Co-investment Fund (SFC).
Tanya Ewing, inventor of the Ewgeco technology, said the investment would enable Ewgeco to invest in new stock, larger premises and additional staff. “Its gives us the ability to move up a level,” she said.
The company says it is on track for 300 per cent per cent growth in the second half of 2012. It sold 1000 units in the first quarter of the year.
Big savings
Ewgeco products are not cheap; the price tag per unit is £500, but Ewing said they were delivering “phenomenal” results for businesses that invest in them.
“They are suitable for literally any type of business and the results have been unbelievably fantastic,” she said.
Ewing said Ewgeco was working very closely with a facilities management partner to deliver the offering to businesses. “Over the last 12 months we’ve put over a 100 systems into businesses throughout Scotland and England,” she said.
In one case, an eco-friendly print company that had already introduced a range of energy saving measures introduced Ewgeco’s real time monitoring system and by doing so reduced electricity spend from 68 pence per hour to nine pence per hour, said Ewing.
In the first few months of installing the system, the client has saved 29 per cent on its electricity bill equating to an anticipated annual saving of £6,400.
New solutions
The new investment will also contribute towards research and development at Ewgeco, which says it is looking at innovative new ways to help customers in their energy management.
The original Ewgeco, which Ewing invented in 2006, was the first real time energy display monitor on the market.
Among the new products the company is now developing, said Ewing, are domestic and business solutions to work with smart metering.
ACP is a newly formed association for carbon professionals. Set up by a group of professionals working in carbon management and carbon finance with support from the British Council and Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI). http://www.carbonprofessional.org/
The ACP aims “To support and develop a community of professionals who work to reduce carbon emissions directly or indirectly, through offsets and markets, with the aim of speeding the transition to a low carbon economy”.
Stewart Stevenson MSP (Minister for Environment & Climate Change, Scottish Govt.) to launch the event in Edinburgh tonight.
Ewgeco will be exhibiting at the event in Edinburgh’s Lothian chambers , showing how people at work or in their homes can reduce their energy consumption, bills and carbon emissions. The event runs from 6pm until 9pm.
The housing innovation showcase 2012 is an exciting ‘live’ project to promote sustainability and demonstrate how alternative methods of construction can be maintained into future affordable housing. The project owned and managed by Kingdom Housing Association, Dunlin Drive, Dunfermline, Scotland, has 27 houses in the development, which have been build using different technologies. http://www.kingdomhousing.org.uk/. The complex will be open to the public and to trade for the next three weeks.
In order to see how each house performs the Ewgeco energy monitors have been installed. These monitors will also enable the new occupants to learn about their own energy usage helping them to stay out of fuel poverty.
The showcase cost was £3.5 million pounds and funding assistance was provided by the Scottish Government, Fife Council and private finance through Kingdom Housing Association.
Now in its 9th year, the Annual Housing Excellence awards are all about rewarding those who are leading the way in providing a better standard of housing for thousands of tenants in social housing. The award event, in association with the respected Housing magazine is a key date in the calendar and was attended by over 750 professionals to the charity event including companies Savills, Orbit Group, Travis Perkins, Wolseley, Keepmoat, Eon, and many others. http://www.thecodestore.co.uk/
Philip Howell of thecodestore.co.uk was there to collect the Supplier of the Year award and said, “This is obviously an amazing achievement for ourselves as the competition is much larger and more established. After only 3 years of operation we have received recognition for our concept and our service and we hope to continue to deliver on both fronts.” http://www.thecodestore.co.uk/
Thecodestore.co.uk is a key distributor of Ewgeco’s multi utility in home live energy displays.
The award for Best New Affordable Housing Scheme went to Woodland View, Darlington http://www.woodlandviewdarlington.co.uk/, and was collected by Doug Ross, Managing Director for Tees Valley Housing. http://www.teesvalley.org/
Ewgeco’s patented traffic-light displays are installed in these homes bringing consumption data out of the utility cupboard and into the sight of tenants, giving them control and a better understanding of their energy usage.
Scottish energy management company Ewgeco has secured nearly £1 million from Archangel Informal Investments and Scottish Enterprise, through the Scottish Investment Bank’s Scottish Co-investment Fund (SFC).
The company, based in Edinburgh, creates display systems that monitor any energy source in homes and businesses. This investment is set to drive an expansion programme in to new commercial markets.
With an already successful track record in the housing market the company, which employs 14 people, is on track for 300% per cent growth in the second half of 2012.
George McGhee, chief executive of Ewgeco, said: “We value the continued support of Archangel and Scottish Enterprise. This latest commitment to our business will significantly impact on our overall growth plans for the company.”
“This cash investment will also contribute to our research and development practice from which we continue to look at new, innovative ways to help customers in their energy management.”
Ewgeco’s range of monitoring systems were originally designed to cut energy costs and consumption in homes. The commercial viability of the product soon became evident with the business community looking to cut energy consumption and ultimately costs.
McGhee continues: “In a tough economic climate businesses are constantly looking at cost saving measures and our products can deliver results with an average return of investment in 12 months.”
John Waddell, chief executive of Archangel Informal Investments, said “We are pleased to have had the opportunity to support Ewgeco’s development and plans for expansion.”