UK energy supply is looking stretched

Outgoing chief executive of Ofgem, Alistair Buchanan, sparked a media discussion this month by stating that:
 

 “It’s horrendous serendipity that just at the time we have a squeeze on our power station capacity and turn to gas, the global markets may have a squeeze on their LNG”

This led to headlines such as in the Daily Telegraph "UK's energy reserves 'on a downhill ride - fast" and the Sunday Times "Running on Empty". So we are heading for a power supply crunch and a spike in energy pricing. 

The reasons are complicated and beyond the length of this blog to debate. However factors include:

• EU legislation requiring mothballing of coal power stations
• expiry of our existing nuclear power stations by the mid-2020's
• planning and local protests against and slowing new build capacity
• our increasing reliance upon imported gas; used in the splashily named 'dash for gas' gas-fired plants
• changes in energy policy
• costs associated with renewables and Green Deal measures.

By 2025, peak demand is estimated to match supply at around 60GW and with generating capacity falling to just under 50GW by 2028. So it is not scaremongering within the media to state that there is a crunch and that the consumer is going to end up footing a very large bill simply to keep the lights on.

The solutions to this problem are pressing but not simple. Anyone telling you that we can rely upon the abundance of shale gas, wave and wind, or nuclear probably fails to understand the economics of energy and the time required to develop new infrastructure in a mature economy. The solutions will be varied and, in my view, depend upon ourselves as much as government and the energy companies.

There is significant distrust in UK energy suppliers, as highlighted within a recent uSwitch survey "half of consumers don't trust energy suppliers"


which suggests that consumers will need to rely at least in part upon their own initiative to manage their energy bills.


So what can we do?
 
In part much depends upon our changing our energy expectations and consumption behaviours. 
The Green Deal is likely to require us to accept longer paybacks for conservation and improvement measures. And to think about conservation in non-monetary terms rather than how much money we can earn through such things as a solar tariff.

It will also require education regarding our consumption patterns and the changes that we might make in our daily lives that do not materially compromise our living standards and comfort but lead to more efficient home living.

What do you think? 

Let me know if you what your thoughts are

How to upgrade your gas meter

The regulated private gas industry has become fragmented from a consumer's standpoint. The grid pipeline and metering is managed by National Grid (Metering), but the consumer deals with the energy companies. There are wholesale gas suppliers and installing companies who sit within the supply chain. This means that you may see either one or a number of different companies in one transaction. 

Question: how many companies does it take to move and upgrade a gas meter?  
Answer: it all depends. (In my case the answer was three)

You may have an older diaphragm meter that reads in ft3, dating from the mid 90's. The gas companies are reluctant generally to change meters that are less than 20 years old. You may be offered a gas calibration check, but it is unlikely to be worth spending this money unless something is clearly wrong.

An older gas meter, such as the ones below, might last 30 years if it is refurbished.

I know of someone who had their meter moved two years ago, but the gas company installed a different ft3 refurbished meter dating from 1995, rather than install a new meter. This practice is accepted by OfGEM.

Contact your utility gas provider. They should be willing to do an exchange as a 'Customer Requested Change'. This should cost less than £100 including VAT and take 2 to 3 weeks. An installer will contact you and the charge gets added to your next bill.

A modern gas meter, such as this example Itron U6 Residential gas meter offers a number of advantages over older meters.

It is metric, with easy display dials. It can be easily remote monitored via a pulse output (reed switch insert), making it accessible to logging devices that are appearing.

In contrast the older meters (R5 U6) may or may not have an accessible reed switch, might have a silvered 0 on the lowest digit that can be read by an optical monitor, or alternatively may have no easy way to link to a remote monitor.

Diaphragm valves are generally reliable over long periods of time (unlike analogue electricity meters) so the benefits of a modern meter really come into their own in conjunction with a real-time monitoring unit.

How to install a secondary water meter

Purchase a suitable water meter that has an integral reed switch for remote monitoring. It needs to be WRAS approved and is likely to be DN20 fitting to avoid restricting the domestic supply. 

Your selected meter should include a relay and cable connector. We attach an example, which can be purchased online for less than £100 including VAT.

You will need to arrange for a plumber to install the meter on your incoming supply. This is usually a simple task that should not take longer than 1/2 hour. If you are feeling brave and competent enough then some people may do this installation themselves.