Britain's energy regulator proposed imposing fines totalling more than 5 million pounds ($7.85 million) on two
British gas network operators for failing to respond in time to customer gas leaks, the authority said on Wednesday.
National Grid Gas could be fined up to 4.3 million pounds and Northern Gas Networks 900,000 pounds for not meeting minimum times to respond to reported gas escapes between April 2010 and March 2011.
The proposals are subject to a 21-day consultation period during which the companies can dispute the amount of the fines.
"Penalties would have been higher had it not been for the companies' cooperation with the investigation and action taken by them ahead of this winter," Ofgem said.
Gas distribution networks have to respond to 97 percent of uncontrolled gas escapes within one hour and 97 percent of controlled leaks (which means the customer was able to resolve a problem following advice over the phone) within two hours.
National Grid, which reached 92.1-96.1 percent of uncontrolled gas leaks on time across its four networks, blamed its low score on last winter's harsh weather.
"We take our responsibility to attend and manage gas escapes very seriously, and we have learned lessons from last year that we have embedded into the improved plans we have put in place for this coming winter," said John Pettigrew, chief operating officer of National Grid's gas distribution business.
The network company said it had started winter planning earlier this year, hired more staff and improved its communication systems to better its response performance.
Northern Gas Networks, in which Hong-Kong listed Cheung Kung Infrastructure holds a 47.1 percent stake, responded to 91.6 percent of uncontrolled gas leaks within the one-hour target and 94.3 percent of controlled cases.
"We've completed a thorough review of our business and resources and put the lessons learnt into a new plan for this winter," Northern Gas Networks Chief Executive Mark Horsley said.
Energy regulator Ofgem is the UK's gas and electricity market watchdog and has the power to fine companies which fail to comply with regulations up to 10 percent of annual turnover.
In October, Ofgem fined utility RWE npower 2 million pounds for failing to handle customer complaints properly.
21/12/2011 - reuters.co.uk
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Friday, 23 December 2011
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Co-op cuts gas and electricity prices
Co-operative Energy is to cut its energy prices by around 3%.
It plans to drop gas and electricity prices from 1 February 2012 and says this will save the average household around £35 a year.
The price cut applies to almost all of Co-operative Energy's 16,000 customers, apart from those who joined during the company’s probationary period and are already on a cheaper tariff.
The company claims the price cut will make Co-operative Energy cheaper than standard tariffs from British Gas, Eon, EDF, Npower, Scottish and Southern and Scottish Power, which have all increased prices this year.
20/12/2011 - Which?
It plans to drop gas and electricity prices from 1 February 2012 and says this will save the average household around £35 a year.
Energy price cut
Co-operative Energy is Britain's newest energy company and launched in May 2011. It has no shareholders, offers one tariff and customers are not tied into long contracts.The price cut applies to almost all of Co-operative Energy's 16,000 customers, apart from those who joined during the company’s probationary period and are already on a cheaper tariff.
Warm weather cuts prices
Co-operative Energy spokesperson Nigel Mason said: ‘This autumn’s exceptionally mild weather has led to a drop in wholesale prices so we’re passing on those savings as soon as we possibly can.’The company claims the price cut will make Co-operative Energy cheaper than standard tariffs from British Gas, Eon, EDF, Npower, Scottish and Southern and Scottish Power, which have all increased prices this year.
20/12/2011 - Which?
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Co-op's energy price cuts sparks war between 'Big Six'
At last, some good news on domestic energy prices. Having announced major price increases earlier in the year, energy companies look set to reduce household bills in 2012.
Ethical newcomer to the domestic market, Co-operative Energy, has led the way by announcing it is to cut prices by an average of 3% from 1 February 2012. The move is thought to be driven by cheaper wholesale energy prices, and is part of the company's 'fair and transparent' pledge to customers. It will save the average household around £35 per year.
Paul Green, chief executive of the independent price comparison service Energyhelpline.com, said: “This is a welcome Christmas present for Co-operative Energy customers and a shrewd PR tactic as the company can rightly claim to be leading the market on price cuts and delaying price rises.
"The announcement has also focused attention on the fact that wholesale prices are falling and will no doubt leave many consumers wondering why, if Co-operative Energy can give a commitment to reducing household energy bills, then why can't the Big Six providers?
"The call to put customers before profits resonates with what many are thinking and could be a powerful way of attracting new business.
"Although a new challenger in the market with a small customer base at present, the Co-op is a big consumer brand and there is the possibility that this move could herald a much-needed round of price-cutting in the domestic energy sector."
This comes on the back of news that SSE has confirmed it will compensate customers who were wrongly persuaded to switch gas and electricity supply to the company by doorstep salespeople.
19/12/2011 - mirror.co.uk
Are you looking to switch energy supplier? Check out the Reduce Comparison Gas & Electricity Comparison Service now!
Ethical newcomer to the domestic market, Co-operative Energy, has led the way by announcing it is to cut prices by an average of 3% from 1 February 2012. The move is thought to be driven by cheaper wholesale energy prices, and is part of the company's 'fair and transparent' pledge to customers. It will save the average household around £35 per year.
Paul Green, chief executive of the independent price comparison service Energyhelpline.com, said: “This is a welcome Christmas present for Co-operative Energy customers and a shrewd PR tactic as the company can rightly claim to be leading the market on price cuts and delaying price rises.
"The announcement has also focused attention on the fact that wholesale prices are falling and will no doubt leave many consumers wondering why, if Co-operative Energy can give a commitment to reducing household energy bills, then why can't the Big Six providers?
"The call to put customers before profits resonates with what many are thinking and could be a powerful way of attracting new business.
"Although a new challenger in the market with a small customer base at present, the Co-op is a big consumer brand and there is the possibility that this move could herald a much-needed round of price-cutting in the domestic energy sector."
This comes on the back of news that SSE has confirmed it will compensate customers who were wrongly persuaded to switch gas and electricity supply to the company by doorstep salespeople.
19/12/2011 - mirror.co.uk
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Monday, 19 December 2011
Scottish Power Extends £80 Cashback Deal to New Customers
Amidst the news surrounding British Gas’s “simplified” tariffs, ScottishPower is trying to stand out by offering a market-leading £80 cash to new customers. But this offer is only available until midnight Thursday 15th so people need to act fast.
If you change both your gas and electricity supply to a ScottishPower tariff, you will get £80 cashback, or £40 for changing just gas or electricity.
On average, £80 cashback makes its online tariff the cheapest around, and for just £10 a year more you could get their fixed tariff which locks your rates until April 2013.
Meanwhile, npower’s £100 Love2shop voucher is still available on its fixed tariff Go Fix 8, which also locks your rates until 2013. You get £50 in vouchers for switching just gas or electricity or £100 for both. These vouchers can be spent in dozens of major high street stores.
With the typical yearly bill now standing at £1,345 according to energy regulator Ofgem, households could save over £300 by switching to their cheapest tariff.
09/12/2011 - Mirror.co.uk
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Thursday, 15 December 2011
Electricity bills to rocket by 25% because of 'green' targets, says Government
Electricity bills will rocket by almost a quarter as a direct result of ‘green’ targets, the Government’s own advisers warned last night.
A study by the Committee on Climate Change set out to debunk ‘myths’ about the impact of controversial EU climate change targets.
But its experts found that switching to wind farms and other ‘green’ sources of energy will lead to a significant hike in electricity prices.
The study concluded that electricity prices are likely to rise by 41 per cent by 2020 in real terms – with more than half the increase a result of switching to ‘low carbon’ energy sources.
In total, ‘green’ measures will add 23.8 per cent to the price of electricity.
The impact on families will vary according to consumption, but the report found that those whose homes are heated by electricity could see their annual bills rise by more than £400.
The analysis also suggests that a new ‘carbon price floor’ – introduced on the pretext of cutting carbon emissions – will effectively act as a tax, raising £3billion a year for the Treasury from electricity consumers by 2020.
The CCC’s report suggests that people whose homes are heated by electricity will see their average bills rise from about £1,500 to £2,100 in 2020.
Around £400 of the projected increase is directly related to ‘low-carbon measures’.
It suggests typical dual fuel bills will increase from £1,060 in 2010 to £1,250 in 2020 – although this assumes that gas consumption will be 20 per cent lower.
But the report also found that green measures were not largely to blame for the recent steep rises in fuel prices, adding just £75 a year to the typical bill.
David Kennedy, CCC chief executive, said its ‘best estimate’ was that green measures would add only £110 to the typical annual fuel bill by 2020. And he claimed much of this could be offset if people insulated their homes and bought more efficient devices, such as fridges and washing machines.
But Mr Kennedy acknowledged that families using large amounts of electricity would face much higher rises, as the switch to green energy will have a greater impact on electricity prices than gas prices.
Britain has signed up to EU climate change targets which commit us to cutting carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
The CCC’s forecasts assume that the new generation of offshore wind farms needed to hit the 2020 target will cost £30billion. But many experts believe the final bill will be much higher.
Last weekend at a summit in South Africa, Climate Change Secretary Chris
Huhne agreed to sign up to even tougher targets.
Last night Consumer Focus warned that the main price rises from the switch to ‘green energy’ were still to come.
Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at the watchdog, said: ‘Measures which are essential to make our energy supply greener and more secure are having an inevitable impact on consumers’ bills, and that impact will increase over the coming years.’
She said revenue from green taxes should be used to help families insulate their homes.
Former Trade Secretary Peter Lilley said Government policy appeared to be based on pushing up fuel prices to limit consumption.
He added: ‘The truth is that we do not yet know how big the effects of carbon dioxide are on the temperature, still less the balance of harm it will do.
‘We are penalising the current generation on the basis of protecting future generations from an unknown threat.’
15/12/2011 - dailymail
Are you looking to switch energy supplier? Check out the Reduce Comparison Gas & Electricity Comparison Service now!
A study by the Committee on Climate Change set out to debunk ‘myths’ about the impact of controversial EU climate change targets.
But its experts found that switching to wind farms and other ‘green’ sources of energy will lead to a significant hike in electricity prices.
The study concluded that electricity prices are likely to rise by 41 per cent by 2020 in real terms – with more than half the increase a result of switching to ‘low carbon’ energy sources.
In total, ‘green’ measures will add 23.8 per cent to the price of electricity.
The impact on families will vary according to consumption, but the report found that those whose homes are heated by electricity could see their annual bills rise by more than £400.
The analysis also suggests that a new ‘carbon price floor’ – introduced on the pretext of cutting carbon emissions – will effectively act as a tax, raising £3billion a year for the Treasury from electricity consumers by 2020.
The CCC’s report suggests that people whose homes are heated by electricity will see their average bills rise from about £1,500 to £2,100 in 2020.
Around £400 of the projected increase is directly related to ‘low-carbon measures’.
It suggests typical dual fuel bills will increase from £1,060 in 2010 to £1,250 in 2020 – although this assumes that gas consumption will be 20 per cent lower.
But the report also found that green measures were not largely to blame for the recent steep rises in fuel prices, adding just £75 a year to the typical bill.
David Kennedy, CCC chief executive, said its ‘best estimate’ was that green measures would add only £110 to the typical annual fuel bill by 2020. And he claimed much of this could be offset if people insulated their homes and bought more efficient devices, such as fridges and washing machines.
But Mr Kennedy acknowledged that families using large amounts of electricity would face much higher rises, as the switch to green energy will have a greater impact on electricity prices than gas prices.
Britain has signed up to EU climate change targets which commit us to cutting carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
The CCC’s forecasts assume that the new generation of offshore wind farms needed to hit the 2020 target will cost £30billion. But many experts believe the final bill will be much higher.
Last weekend at a summit in South Africa, Climate Change Secretary Chris
Huhne agreed to sign up to even tougher targets.
Last night Consumer Focus warned that the main price rises from the switch to ‘green energy’ were still to come.
Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at the watchdog, said: ‘Measures which are essential to make our energy supply greener and more secure are having an inevitable impact on consumers’ bills, and that impact will increase over the coming years.’
She said revenue from green taxes should be used to help families insulate their homes.
Former Trade Secretary Peter Lilley said Government policy appeared to be based on pushing up fuel prices to limit consumption.
He added: ‘The truth is that we do not yet know how big the effects of carbon dioxide are on the temperature, still less the balance of harm it will do.
‘We are penalising the current generation on the basis of protecting future generations from an unknown threat.’
15/12/2011 - dailymail
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Monday, 12 December 2011
Problems at EDF lead to huge rise in complaints
The power company saw the number of complaints about it soar by almost three quarters since the spring. The figures for the three months to the end of September are up by 91 per cent on the same quarter last year.
Adam Scorer, director of external affairs at Consumer Focus, said: "Complaints about EDF Energy over the summer have had a catastrophic impact on its rating. While system changes inevitably cause disruption to customers, this must be minimised."
He said the company urgently needed to clean up its act. "EDF's current complaints performance is unacceptable and the company must take further steps to tackle this," said Mr Scorer.
EDF Energy – which increased prices by 15.4 per cent for gas and 4.5 per cent for electricity on 10 November – admitted it had had problems in the last few months. A spokesman said: "We are obviously disappointed that we have not been in a position to consistently deliver the high levels of service this year that our customers have been used to."
"We sincerely apologise to those customers who have experienced any problems during this temporary period and thank them for their patience." The firm blamed the introduction of new systems and having an inadequate number of service staff to help customers deal with the changes.
EDF recruited 700 extra service staff to deal with the changes, but was forced to recruit an additional 400 when problems quickly grew.
A spokesman said: "Throughout this year we have been implementing new systems." He added that the changes led to "our customer services operated to a lower standard between May and September."
It wasn't just EDF that proved guilty of failing customers. Complaints across the industry rose, on average, by just over a quarter from July to September.
At the same time all the big six firms announced massive price hikes, including a 19 per cent gas price rise from Scottish Power and a 16 per cent electricity price hike by British Gas.
"It is disappointing, but perhaps not surprising, that complaints on energy issues have risen at a time when energy bills are increasing," said Mr Scorer.
"Energy companies have repeatedly said they want to rebuild consumer trust. Good customer service and complaints handling are key ingredients to building
consumer trust but suppliers still have a long way to go."
10/12/2011 - independent.co.uk
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EDF Energy has increased gas and electricity prices while giving an "unnacceptable" complaints performance, the government watchdog Consumer Focus said yesterday.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Games take largest share of Android's first 10bn downloads
Android games have notched up more than 2.5bn downloads since the launch of Google's Android Market store, taking a 25.6% share of the store's first 10bn downloads.
Google revealed the 10bn milestone on 6 December, adding that the Market is currently generating 1bn new downloads a month. That followed an announcement in November that more than 200m Android devices had been activated, with 550,000 more coming online every day.
The company has now published an infographic on its Android Developers blog digging into the Android
Market data, including the claim that the most popular time to download apps from the store is 9pm on Sundays.
There is also a chart for the "Top 10 Most App-crazed countries" ranked by downloads per capita. South Korea tops the list, followed by Hong Kong, Taiwan, the US, Singapore, Sweden, Israel, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
Entertainment is the second most popular app category in terms of downloads, taking a 12.2% share. It's followed by Tools (11.17%) and Communication (6.45%), with Productivity, Personalisation, Music & Audio and Social all taking shares higher than 4%.
There are some quirky stats too: 1.87m hours have been spent using the Android IMDb app in the last four months; 12bn miles are navigated on Google Maps every year; nearly 1.8m Adele songs have been tagged using Shazam; and 4,054 years have been notched up in the Talking Tom app.
Google is bullish about the appeal of Android for app developers in 2012, with chairman Eric Schmidt telling the Le Web conference this week that he expects more companies to focus on Android alongside or even ahead of iOS next year, thanks in part to the new Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) software update.
"Ultimately, application vendors are driven by volume, and volume is favored by the open approach Google is taking," said Schmidt, according to CNET.
"There are so many manufacturers working so hard to distribute Android phones globally that whether you like ICS or not – and again I like it a great deal – you will want to develop for that platform, and perhaps even first."
The counter-point to Schmidt's argument about volume is that developers are also driven by revenues, especially when it comes to paid apps. Convincing developers to release their premium apps on Android alongside or ahead of iOS may require more case studies of these kinds of apps making good money on the Android Market.
9/12/2011 - Guardian
Are you looking for a new phone/new contract? Check out our Reduce Comparison mobile site featuring all the latest handsets and fantastic deals.
Google revealed the 10bn milestone on 6 December, adding that the Market is currently generating 1bn new downloads a month. That followed an announcement in November that more than 200m Android devices had been activated, with 550,000 more coming online every day.
The company has now published an infographic on its Android Developers blog digging into the Android
Market data, including the claim that the most popular time to download apps from the store is 9pm on Sundays.
There is also a chart for the "Top 10 Most App-crazed countries" ranked by downloads per capita. South Korea tops the list, followed by Hong Kong, Taiwan, the US, Singapore, Sweden, Israel, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
Entertainment is the second most popular app category in terms of downloads, taking a 12.2% share. It's followed by Tools (11.17%) and Communication (6.45%), with Productivity, Personalisation, Music & Audio and Social all taking shares higher than 4%.
There are some quirky stats too: 1.87m hours have been spent using the Android IMDb app in the last four months; 12bn miles are navigated on Google Maps every year; nearly 1.8m Adele songs have been tagged using Shazam; and 4,054 years have been notched up in the Talking Tom app.
Google is bullish about the appeal of Android for app developers in 2012, with chairman Eric Schmidt telling the Le Web conference this week that he expects more companies to focus on Android alongside or even ahead of iOS next year, thanks in part to the new Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) software update.
"Ultimately, application vendors are driven by volume, and volume is favored by the open approach Google is taking," said Schmidt, according to CNET.
"There are so many manufacturers working so hard to distribute Android phones globally that whether you like ICS or not – and again I like it a great deal – you will want to develop for that platform, and perhaps even first."
The counter-point to Schmidt's argument about volume is that developers are also driven by revenues, especially when it comes to paid apps. Convincing developers to release their premium apps on Android alongside or ahead of iOS may require more case studies of these kinds of apps making good money on the Android Market.
9/12/2011 - Guardian
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Thursday, 8 December 2011
OnLive comes to iPad and Android with LA Noire
Cloud gaming firm OnLive is launching iOS and Android apps to enable its subscribers to play its catalogue of games on their tablets and smartphones, while also adding Rockstar Games' LA Noire to the service.
The apps join OnLive's PC and Mac clients, as well as its OnLive Game System set-top box. The new apps will provide full access to all OnLive games and demos, with a choice of three control methods for touchscreen tablets. The Android version is live on Google's Android Market, but the iOS app has yet to be approved by Apple.
Some games, including LA Noire, will have bespoke touchscreen controls created by their developers, taking advantage of native hardware features like the accelerometer. Others will use OnLive's own "vPad" on-screen controls, while the tablet apps will also be compatible with a new wireless controller which is being sold for £39.99.
OnLive will have 25 games available with touchscreen controls as its tablet apps launch, while the rest of its nearly 200-strong catalogue will be playable using the wireless controller.
Chief executive Steve Perlman says that OnLive is targeting two types of people with the new apps. "There are no console-class games on mobile, and certainly no controllers that work with mobile," he says.
"For gamers used to having physical contact with buttons, sliding around a touchscreen is good for some little games, but not for others. Yet gamers have smartphones and tablets, and if they're in a situation where they don't have their gamer rig or console with them, they may want to continue a game they started at home."
The more interesting potential audience for the OnLive apps, though, is people who aren't already hardcore gamers. Perlman cites LA Noire as the perfect example of a game that will appeal to an audience beyond those who own consoles or high-end PCs.
"We really think that the casual audience is going to be very excited about these high-performance games," says Perlman.
"LA Noire is a detective story. My parents would be very interested in a game with that type of subject! But they're never going to pick up a controller or buy the class of PC required to run it. I think a game like LA Noire has the potential to be a big hit among people who would never have a console."
Rockstar's decision to make LA Noire available through OnLive comes as the company prepares to release a new version of Grand Theft Auto III on 15 December as a native iOS and Android game.
OnLive now offers an alternative route to tablets, particularly for newer titles like LA Noire that – according to Perlman – would still present a headache to any developer trying to squeeze them down into a native app for these devices.
He also thinks it's important that Rockstar has chosen to make new touchscreen controls for the game. "The major publishers don't look at tablets as a port: they look at them as a new market, and want to address that market in accordance with the nature of the device."
Getting OnLive onto iOS has required some finesse in terms of the company's business model. On Android, people can purchase and rent games directly from the app. On iPad, they can only play free demos, view HD trailers and play the games already in their libraries – those they have bought, rented or subscribed to via OnLive on another device.
Isn't there a risk of Apple seeing OnLive as unwanted competition for its own App Store games ecosystem? Perlman seems relaxed, even though at the time he spoke to The Guardian, OnLive's iOS app was still in Apple's approval process – a state of affairs that continued beyond the actual announcement of the apps on 8 December.
"We're not going to displace anything in the Apple store: we don't have the games they have, and if there's no internet connection, people will want to play games locally anyway," he says.
"They view us like anything else: they have Netflix on there that competes with iTunes. Our Viewer application for iPad has been featured in their New &
Noteworthy section, so they seem to be alright with it."
Perlman's statement about there being no console-quality games on tablets could be challenged by the existence of titles like Infinity Blade II, released earlier in December. OnLive's expansion to tablets begs the question of whether these kinds of games might make their way from being native iOS titles to being available on OnLive for PC, Mac and TV gamers.
"A lot of the guys building these higher value games [for iOS] are approaching us," he confirms. "They do want to run them on OnLive, but they want to justify the fact that you're connected by beefing up the games or adding new features that couldn't be added to the existing versions."
OnLive launched in the US in June 2010, and in the UK in September 2011. Perlman declines to give absolute numbers for how many users have signed up, but claims it's "a number of millions", and says it stacks up well to the Xbox 360's user base one year after it launched.
"If you look at them in their first year, the growth is very similar," he says. Xbox 360 launched in late 2005 in North America and Europe, and according to industry site VGChartz had sold 7.9m units worldwide by the end of 2006.
Perlman also says OnLive's support from the games industry has been increasing rapidly. "People have been asking 'where are the big publishers', but with LA Noire and the work we're doing with other major publishers, they can see that's going on," says Perlman.
He adds that publishers are increasingly keen to make exclusive demos for their games available on OnLive, with Batman: Arkham City the most high-profile example so far. "On the day the demo was released, more than half the users who logged in that day played it," says Perlman.
08/11/2011 - guardian.co.uk
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The apps join OnLive's PC and Mac clients, as well as its OnLive Game System set-top box. The new apps will provide full access to all OnLive games and demos, with a choice of three control methods for touchscreen tablets. The Android version is live on Google's Android Market, but the iOS app has yet to be approved by Apple.
Some games, including LA Noire, will have bespoke touchscreen controls created by their developers, taking advantage of native hardware features like the accelerometer. Others will use OnLive's own "vPad" on-screen controls, while the tablet apps will also be compatible with a new wireless controller which is being sold for £39.99.
OnLive will have 25 games available with touchscreen controls as its tablet apps launch, while the rest of its nearly 200-strong catalogue will be playable using the wireless controller.
Chief executive Steve Perlman says that OnLive is targeting two types of people with the new apps. "There are no console-class games on mobile, and certainly no controllers that work with mobile," he says.
"For gamers used to having physical contact with buttons, sliding around a touchscreen is good for some little games, but not for others. Yet gamers have smartphones and tablets, and if they're in a situation where they don't have their gamer rig or console with them, they may want to continue a game they started at home."
The more interesting potential audience for the OnLive apps, though, is people who aren't already hardcore gamers. Perlman cites LA Noire as the perfect example of a game that will appeal to an audience beyond those who own consoles or high-end PCs.
"We really think that the casual audience is going to be very excited about these high-performance games," says Perlman.
"LA Noire is a detective story. My parents would be very interested in a game with that type of subject! But they're never going to pick up a controller or buy the class of PC required to run it. I think a game like LA Noire has the potential to be a big hit among people who would never have a console."
Rockstar's decision to make LA Noire available through OnLive comes as the company prepares to release a new version of Grand Theft Auto III on 15 December as a native iOS and Android game.
OnLive now offers an alternative route to tablets, particularly for newer titles like LA Noire that – according to Perlman – would still present a headache to any developer trying to squeeze them down into a native app for these devices.
He also thinks it's important that Rockstar has chosen to make new touchscreen controls for the game. "The major publishers don't look at tablets as a port: they look at them as a new market, and want to address that market in accordance with the nature of the device."
Getting OnLive onto iOS has required some finesse in terms of the company's business model. On Android, people can purchase and rent games directly from the app. On iPad, they can only play free demos, view HD trailers and play the games already in their libraries – those they have bought, rented or subscribed to via OnLive on another device.
Isn't there a risk of Apple seeing OnLive as unwanted competition for its own App Store games ecosystem? Perlman seems relaxed, even though at the time he spoke to The Guardian, OnLive's iOS app was still in Apple's approval process – a state of affairs that continued beyond the actual announcement of the apps on 8 December.
"We're not going to displace anything in the Apple store: we don't have the games they have, and if there's no internet connection, people will want to play games locally anyway," he says.
"They view us like anything else: they have Netflix on there that competes with iTunes. Our Viewer application for iPad has been featured in their New &
Noteworthy section, so they seem to be alright with it."
Perlman's statement about there being no console-quality games on tablets could be challenged by the existence of titles like Infinity Blade II, released earlier in December. OnLive's expansion to tablets begs the question of whether these kinds of games might make their way from being native iOS titles to being available on OnLive for PC, Mac and TV gamers.
"A lot of the guys building these higher value games [for iOS] are approaching us," he confirms. "They do want to run them on OnLive, but they want to justify the fact that you're connected by beefing up the games or adding new features that couldn't be added to the existing versions."
OnLive launched in the US in June 2010, and in the UK in September 2011. Perlman declines to give absolute numbers for how many users have signed up, but claims it's "a number of millions", and says it stacks up well to the Xbox 360's user base one year after it launched.
"If you look at them in their first year, the growth is very similar," he says. Xbox 360 launched in late 2005 in North America and Europe, and according to industry site VGChartz had sold 7.9m units worldwide by the end of 2006.
Perlman also says OnLive's support from the games industry has been increasing rapidly. "People have been asking 'where are the big publishers', but with LA Noire and the work we're doing with other major publishers, they can see that's going on," says Perlman.
He adds that publishers are increasingly keen to make exclusive demos for their games available on OnLive, with Batman: Arkham City the most high-profile example so far. "On the day the demo was released, more than half the users who logged in that day played it," says Perlman.
08/11/2011 - guardian.co.uk
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Tuesday, 6 December 2011
British Gas owner Centrica strikes Qatar oil deal
Centrica has signed a deal with Qatar’s state-owned oil company which will see the pair working together to pursue international energy investments.
The agreement comes just two weeks after Centrica (down 3.2p at 293.1p), the parent company of British Gas, unveiled a ten-year agreement to buy £13billion worth of gas from Statoil and pay £1billion for oil and gas assets in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
The companies declined to put a figure on the investment but said they were looking to fund a range of new and existing oil and gas projects, including investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas storage, and gas-powered turbines.
Qatar holds the world’s third largest natural gas reserves and is the biggest supplier of LNG, but is keen to expand its oil and gas interests into other areas and markets.
Julian Lee, senior energy analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies, said: ‘Qatar has made no secret of its desire to diversify. It has imposed a moratorium on new projects in its single biggest gas field because of political considerations with Iran with it whom it shares the field.’
International sanctions against Iran mean its side of the massive South Pars/North Field in the Persian Gulf is underdeveloped and Qatar’s more rapid development of the field has led to friction between the two countries.
Centrica already has an LNG contract with Qatar and this latest deal will increase speculation that the Qataris will take a strategic stake in the UK group.
Investec analyst Angelos Anastasiou said: ‘This is undeniably a statement of intent that they want to do things together. It’s quite feasible that the Qataris could take a 2 to 3 per cent strategic stake in Centrica at some stage.
05/12/2011 - thisismoney.co.uk
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The agreement comes just two weeks after Centrica (down 3.2p at 293.1p), the parent company of British Gas, unveiled a ten-year agreement to buy £13billion worth of gas from Statoil and pay £1billion for oil and gas assets in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
The companies declined to put a figure on the investment but said they were looking to fund a range of new and existing oil and gas projects, including investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas storage, and gas-powered turbines.
Qatar holds the world’s third largest natural gas reserves and is the biggest supplier of LNG, but is keen to expand its oil and gas interests into other areas and markets.
Julian Lee, senior energy analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies, said: ‘Qatar has made no secret of its desire to diversify. It has imposed a moratorium on new projects in its single biggest gas field because of political considerations with Iran with it whom it shares the field.’
International sanctions against Iran mean its side of the massive South Pars/North Field in the Persian Gulf is underdeveloped and Qatar’s more rapid development of the field has led to friction between the two countries.
Centrica already has an LNG contract with Qatar and this latest deal will increase speculation that the Qataris will take a strategic stake in the UK group.
Investec analyst Angelos Anastasiou said: ‘This is undeniably a statement of intent that they want to do things together. It’s quite feasible that the Qataris could take a 2 to 3 per cent strategic stake in Centrica at some stage.
05/12/2011 - thisismoney.co.uk
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Monday, 5 December 2011
Big six energy firms face fresh accusations of profiteering
The big six energy companies have been repeatedly taking advantage of brief spikes in the wholesale price of electricity to pass on much longer-term increases to householders, new analysis for the Guardian shows.
The revelations of potential profiteering over many years were described as appalling by one MP and come amid mounting political pressure for a competition inquiry into the energy sector.
Npower, British Gas and others have repeatedly denied claims of profiteering and have blamed "green taxes" for increasing costs. But new calculations by statisticians at Manchester University show a widening gap between wholesale and retail prices, even before the last couple of months when domestic bills have soared and yet wholesale prices have slumped.
"There is a clear trend and this shows a widening gap between the price consumers pay and the wholesale cost paid by the energy companies," said Dr Nathan Green, a statistician at the university.
The Guardian obtained data on retail prices paid by consumers for their electricity and compared it with a composite measure of wholesale prices paid by electricity companies, generated by information specialist Mintec. This data shows retail prices even excluding the impact of the relatively new climate change levy, increasing at a faster rate than wholesale electricity prices.
In the first six months of 2004, retail electricity prices were on average £1.93 per 100 kilowatt hour higher than the wholesale measure. By 2010 this gap had more than doubled, to over £4. It narrowed in 2011 as a result of well-publicised cost increases in the wholesale market, but averaged £2.73 in summer – even before the price rises passed on to householders by the big six this autumn.
Green said: "When you take into account seasonal variation, random fluctuations and the time lags between wholesale costs rising and retail prices following, there is never a time at which the energy companies are losing money."
Green's statistical model suggested around 80% of the winter price spike was passed to the consumer price, but when wholesale markets fell in summer, retail prices moved far less – only around 50% of the amount. The data also shows that when wholesale prices suddenly spike – as they did in 2009 – consumer prices rapidly follow suit. However, prices fall back more slowly and to a lesser degree after the wholesale price spike abates.
Richard Lloyd, executive director at consumer group Which?, said the new analysis was alarming. "People don't trust energy companies to charge them a fair price, and this widening gap between wholesale and retail costs will do nothing to put anyone's mind at rest. Suppliers have a long way to go before they can prove that recent price increases are justified," he said.
John Robertson, an opposition MP who has been at the forefront of campaigns against fuel poverty, believed that the study proved what he and others had been saying for years.
"I find it appalling that [regulator] Ofgem have taken so long to catch on to this as MPs like myself have been telling them till we were blue in the face that the wholesale market price and the rise in prices by energy companies is way off kilter. Ofgem couldn't have moved any slower on this issue. If they had, they would have stood still. It's taken them years to realise what the rest of us from customers to MPs saw as obvious," he said.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, upset critics earlier this year when it reported annual pre-tax profits of £1.9bn – its largest ever – and then months later raised consumer gas and electricity prices by 18% and 16% respectively.
Christine McGourty, director of Energy UK, the lobby group that works on behalf of the big power groups, said the Guardian data did not provide a meaningful picture of the costs of providing energy to consumers.
"Companies buy much of their energy in advance, at different times, ensuring the energy is available when it's needed and allowing them to smooth out prices for consumers over time," she said.
"In addition, what consumers pay for in their energy bills is not just the cost of the gas and electricity they use but a wide range of other factors which have been increasing, such as environmental and social obligations and the costs of using the energy networks."
Independent industry experts such as Utilyx say the lack of transparency in power company costs and prices make it very hard to judge what is going on. But they note that energy companies hiked retail prices by up to 18% late summer and yet wholesale gas prices have plunged since from 78p per therm in early September to 58p now. Electricity prices are down heavily too due to mild weather and other factors.
Volker Beckers, chief executive of RWE npower, insisted recently that his company made just £1.50 profit on every £100 spent, while making a loss per average customer between 2004 and 2009.
He said: "These are not the figures associated with an industry that is profiteering or uncompetitive."
02/12/2011 - theguardian.co.uk
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The revelations of potential profiteering over many years were described as appalling by one MP and come amid mounting political pressure for a competition inquiry into the energy sector.
Npower, British Gas and others have repeatedly denied claims of profiteering and have blamed "green taxes" for increasing costs. But new calculations by statisticians at Manchester University show a widening gap between wholesale and retail prices, even before the last couple of months when domestic bills have soared and yet wholesale prices have slumped.
"There is a clear trend and this shows a widening gap between the price consumers pay and the wholesale cost paid by the energy companies," said Dr Nathan Green, a statistician at the university.
The Guardian obtained data on retail prices paid by consumers for their electricity and compared it with a composite measure of wholesale prices paid by electricity companies, generated by information specialist Mintec. This data shows retail prices even excluding the impact of the relatively new climate change levy, increasing at a faster rate than wholesale electricity prices.
In the first six months of 2004, retail electricity prices were on average £1.93 per 100 kilowatt hour higher than the wholesale measure. By 2010 this gap had more than doubled, to over £4. It narrowed in 2011 as a result of well-publicised cost increases in the wholesale market, but averaged £2.73 in summer – even before the price rises passed on to householders by the big six this autumn.
Green said: "When you take into account seasonal variation, random fluctuations and the time lags between wholesale costs rising and retail prices following, there is never a time at which the energy companies are losing money."
Green's statistical model suggested around 80% of the winter price spike was passed to the consumer price, but when wholesale markets fell in summer, retail prices moved far less – only around 50% of the amount. The data also shows that when wholesale prices suddenly spike – as they did in 2009 – consumer prices rapidly follow suit. However, prices fall back more slowly and to a lesser degree after the wholesale price spike abates.
Richard Lloyd, executive director at consumer group Which?, said the new analysis was alarming. "People don't trust energy companies to charge them a fair price, and this widening gap between wholesale and retail costs will do nothing to put anyone's mind at rest. Suppliers have a long way to go before they can prove that recent price increases are justified," he said.
John Robertson, an opposition MP who has been at the forefront of campaigns against fuel poverty, believed that the study proved what he and others had been saying for years.
"I find it appalling that [regulator] Ofgem have taken so long to catch on to this as MPs like myself have been telling them till we were blue in the face that the wholesale market price and the rise in prices by energy companies is way off kilter. Ofgem couldn't have moved any slower on this issue. If they had, they would have stood still. It's taken them years to realise what the rest of us from customers to MPs saw as obvious," he said.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, upset critics earlier this year when it reported annual pre-tax profits of £1.9bn – its largest ever – and then months later raised consumer gas and electricity prices by 18% and 16% respectively.
Christine McGourty, director of Energy UK, the lobby group that works on behalf of the big power groups, said the Guardian data did not provide a meaningful picture of the costs of providing energy to consumers.
"Companies buy much of their energy in advance, at different times, ensuring the energy is available when it's needed and allowing them to smooth out prices for consumers over time," she said.
"In addition, what consumers pay for in their energy bills is not just the cost of the gas and electricity they use but a wide range of other factors which have been increasing, such as environmental and social obligations and the costs of using the energy networks."
Independent industry experts such as Utilyx say the lack of transparency in power company costs and prices make it very hard to judge what is going on. But they note that energy companies hiked retail prices by up to 18% late summer and yet wholesale gas prices have plunged since from 78p per therm in early September to 58p now. Electricity prices are down heavily too due to mild weather and other factors.
Volker Beckers, chief executive of RWE npower, insisted recently that his company made just £1.50 profit on every £100 spent, while making a loss per average customer between 2004 and 2009.
He said: "These are not the figures associated with an industry that is profiteering or uncompetitive."
02/12/2011 - theguardian.co.uk
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Friday, 2 December 2011
As energy costs fall, suppliers face pressure to cut our bills
Energy companies are under pressure to cut prices following significant falls in the wholesale cost of gas and electricity.
Unusually warm weather and the lack of demand from industrial customers as the economy falters have created a glut of cheap power.
The fall in wholesale prices kicked in at the end of August – which is exactly the same time that Britain's 'Big Six' energy firms began a new round of price hikes.
British families have faced a 21 per cent increase in household energy bills during 2011– an average of £224 a year.
The combination of the fall in wholesale prices and the rise in tariffs will ensure that profit margins at the energy giants – British Gas, Scottish & Southern Energy, Eon, Npower, EDF and Scottish Power – are likely to soar.
Details of the fall in wholesale prices were highlighted by independent industry analysts at ICIS Heren.
It said: 'UK energy markets are in freefall as the eurozone teeters on the brink of recession.
'UK wholesale energy prices plummeted to 12-month lows this week, finally cancelling out increases earlier in the year that caused energy companies to raise household prices.
'As a result, energy suppliers could soon come under intense pressure to lower domestic bills.'
The unseasonably warm winter has led to a fall in demand for energy, with 19 per cent less gas use in
November than the same month last year.
Jamie Stewart, ICIS Heren's UK market analyst, said: 'UK prices are at the mercy of global events: some economic, some natural.
'The cold winter that some were predicting has failed to materialise. And with the eurozone and the UK on the brink of recession, energy demand is set to fall.
'This has pulled down prices on the futures markets – what went up, has now come down.'Green taxes added to household energy bills will hurt Britain's poor both financially and physically, a study has warned.
Levies adding hundreds of pounds to bills each year to pay for the move away from fossil fuels could trigger health issues in low-income families as they suffer added hardships, a report by the Renewable Energy Foundation says.
02/12/2011 - Dailymail
Are you looking to switch energy supplier? Check out the Reduce Comparison Gas & Electricity Comparison Service now!
Unusually warm weather and the lack of demand from industrial customers as the economy falters have created a glut of cheap power.
The fall in wholesale prices kicked in at the end of August – which is exactly the same time that Britain's 'Big Six' energy firms began a new round of price hikes.
British families have faced a 21 per cent increase in household energy bills during 2011– an average of £224 a year.
The combination of the fall in wholesale prices and the rise in tariffs will ensure that profit margins at the energy giants – British Gas, Scottish & Southern Energy, Eon, Npower, EDF and Scottish Power – are likely to soar.
Details of the fall in wholesale prices were highlighted by independent industry analysts at ICIS Heren.
It said: 'UK energy markets are in freefall as the eurozone teeters on the brink of recession.
'UK wholesale energy prices plummeted to 12-month lows this week, finally cancelling out increases earlier in the year that caused energy companies to raise household prices.
'As a result, energy suppliers could soon come under intense pressure to lower domestic bills.'
The unseasonably warm winter has led to a fall in demand for energy, with 19 per cent less gas use in
November than the same month last year.
Jamie Stewart, ICIS Heren's UK market analyst, said: 'UK prices are at the mercy of global events: some economic, some natural.
'The cold winter that some were predicting has failed to materialise. And with the eurozone and the UK on the brink of recession, energy demand is set to fall.
'This has pulled down prices on the futures markets – what went up, has now come down.'Green taxes added to household energy bills will hurt Britain's poor both financially and physically, a study has warned.
Levies adding hundreds of pounds to bills each year to pay for the move away from fossil fuels could trigger health issues in low-income families as they suffer added hardships, a report by the Renewable Energy Foundation says.
02/12/2011 - Dailymail
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Thursday, 1 December 2011
British Gas simplify tariffs
The cost of living is spiralling out of control for many with high unemployment, high inflation and Christmas just around the corner.
One of the largest contributing factors to pushing up inflation was the cost of utilities.
Earlier this year all of the UK’s six leading energy companies increased their prices on gas and electricity. Prices went up by an average of 20%, adding an extra £200 to the dual fuel bill.
This outraged many and sparked several investigations into the energy firms by industry regulator, Ofgem. A number of which have now been fined on the grounds of poor customer service, mishandling customer complaints, and mis-selling products.
The price hikes are expected to push millions into fuel poverty and the government has spoken out.
Energy Minister Chris Huhne recently warned that gas price rises could increase yet again! Energy prices have been increasing for the last decade as households continue to stump up the cash or go cold.
British Gas leaves customers in the cold
British gas increased the price of gas by 18% and electricity by 11% this year, igniting fury amongst thousands of households up and down the country.
It comes as no surprise that British Gas have confessed to losing customers during the scramble to find a cheaper energy tariff. In fact, they have lost over 100,000 customers to rival energy companies.
This jaw-dropping figure of migrant energy customers represents the number of people who have fled the nest since the beginning of the year, according to city experts.
Managing Director of British Gas, Phil Bentley, confessed that the energy firm had “not made it easy for customers’ and that it was ‘time for a change.’
In an attempt to repair the damage which has already been done, the company has set out new and simpler tariffs.
After much thought and consultation regarding how to fix this ‘crisis of trust’, British Gas as devised a cunning plan.
The plan involves setting out just two simple tariff types. One is a fixed tariff and the other is a variable.
30/11/2011 - moneyexpert.co.uk
Are you looking to switch energy supplier? Check out the Reduce Comparison Gas & Electricity Comparison Service now!
One of the largest contributing factors to pushing up inflation was the cost of utilities.
Earlier this year all of the UK’s six leading energy companies increased their prices on gas and electricity. Prices went up by an average of 20%, adding an extra £200 to the dual fuel bill.
This outraged many and sparked several investigations into the energy firms by industry regulator, Ofgem. A number of which have now been fined on the grounds of poor customer service, mishandling customer complaints, and mis-selling products.
The price hikes are expected to push millions into fuel poverty and the government has spoken out.
Energy Minister Chris Huhne recently warned that gas price rises could increase yet again! Energy prices have been increasing for the last decade as households continue to stump up the cash or go cold.
British Gas leaves customers in the cold
British gas increased the price of gas by 18% and electricity by 11% this year, igniting fury amongst thousands of households up and down the country.
It comes as no surprise that British Gas have confessed to losing customers during the scramble to find a cheaper energy tariff. In fact, they have lost over 100,000 customers to rival energy companies.
This jaw-dropping figure of migrant energy customers represents the number of people who have fled the nest since the beginning of the year, according to city experts.
Managing Director of British Gas, Phil Bentley, confessed that the energy firm had “not made it easy for customers’ and that it was ‘time for a change.’
In an attempt to repair the damage which has already been done, the company has set out new and simpler tariffs.
After much thought and consultation regarding how to fix this ‘crisis of trust’, British Gas as devised a cunning plan.
The plan involves setting out just two simple tariff types. One is a fixed tariff and the other is a variable.
30/11/2011 - moneyexpert.co.uk
Are you looking to switch energy supplier? Check out the Reduce Comparison Gas & Electricity Comparison Service now!
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