Since the election of the Conservatives in May this year, the discussion of energy has been relatively minimal. This is all change now though as the debate on climate change and renewable energy has been hotting up - or rather cooling down, as cuts have been made to both solar and wind subsidies.
Former US Vice President Al Gore, known also as the founder of the Alliance for Climate Protection, has weighed in with his two cents claiming he is "puzzled" by the government's measures to rollback support for renewable energy. He wants to see Britain reconcile its leadership on climate change to help forge a global agreement for greenhouse gas emissions, which will take place at a conference in Paris this December.
"The UK’s historic legacy of leadership on the most important moral issues faced by humanity, including the climate crisis, is long and has been recognised with respect by the community of nations,” he said. “It is time for the UK government to honour and live up to that legacy, and return to its global leadership position, domestically and abroad, by supporting an ambitious international agreement in Paris that unleashes the power of the private sector to create a global clean energy economy."
The chairman of the Conservative Environment Network and a venture capital investor in clean technology, Ben Goldsmith, disagreed with the government saying there was "no money" for renewable energy development. “I hope the government has a plan,” he said, “but I’m not sure they do.”
His basis for the lack of support for renewables is based on the £2bn loan granted to French and Chinese investors to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley, which is also guaranteed to be allowed to sell its energy to UK billpayers for double the current electricity price.
Businesses want to be a part of the solution in tackling climate change according to John Cridland, director general of the CBI, saying that the green economy is "brimming with opportunity". With the persistent mixed messages regarding energy efficiency, and renewable energy will only worry businesses in the years to come, especially considering they already have to face rising costs.
While your business may not be able to swing the government all on it's own, you can make changes to the efficiency of your business - see our previous guide on how to ready your business for winter in order to help cut the emissions and benefit from cheaper prices as well. The other easiest option when it comes to reducing your energy spend is to check that your rates are the most competitive by visiting energyadviceline.org.uk