Central Heating
Lehman Brothers, the world’s fourth largest investment bank has gone bust, Bradford and Bingley was effectively nationalised (not to mention Northern Rock which started it all), Fortis Bank of Belgium was nationalised and the list is far from finished. When the City is in trouble the rest of the economy is likely to follow. It is worrying and we feel the anxiety in every part of our lives.
Corgi has recently marked the 1,000th member for its student membership scheme, reaching the milestone just nine months into the programme.
Ben Wright from Bradford Collage was presented with a prize to celebrate the milestone. It was presented to him by Sam Browne of Corgi and Paul Bickerdale of Parts Center (part of the Wolseley Group, which also owns Plumb Center).
Recent survey of 1,300 plumbers, heating engineers and installers has confirmed that the overall majority of them are happy with the general format of the Approved Certification Scheme (ACS).
By 2009 it is estimated that around 5.7 million households in Britain will be in fuel poverty status. Almost a quarter of the population, most of them on low income will be affected by the increasing cost of heating and energy.
A fault with the council house boiler meant that a family had a Christmas to forget. The boiler broke down on the 23rd of December and the family of five (including a three week old baby) had to spend a cold Christmas without a boiler, without hot water and without a cooker and with a very sour atmosphere.
Centrica, owner of British Gas, estimates that the average cost of heating and electricity will top £1,000 within the next 3-4 years. Ever increasing cost of oil will push the average cost of energy from around £600 per annum to above £1,000.
In addition to the credit crunch and rapidly increasing cost of heating and electricity, the cost of water is likely to rise above inflation, according to draft proposals submitted by the largest UK water companies to the water regulator OFWAT.
The Heating & Ventilation Contractors’ Association (HVCA) which counts many plumbers and heating engineers among its members has criticised the government for failing to support its own legislation.
A recent report by the Business and Enterprise Select Committee predicted heating and energy bills will continue to rise significantly “over and above the increases already announced this year”. As millions of households face soaring price rises, the committee calls for a review of the energy industry with a view to make reforms wherever necessary.
EDF, the French owned utility company has announced that cost of heating and electricity will go up, leading the last round of energy price increases. EDF has raised prices of gas by 22 per cent and of electricity by 17%. This increase translates to around £200 per annum for a dual fuel bill. At the moment an average dual fuel bill of an EDF customer stands on £1,211.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has launched a scheme for energy assessors. The Scheme has been accredited by the government’s department for Communities and Local Government. The certification is one of the first available for energy assessors.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has admitted that the new gas installer registration scheme will be introduced nine months later than originally planned.