How much can you save by moving to an alternative energy provider

There’s no doubt about it, the cost of living is rising as inflation is going up making everyday purchases and outgoings steadily more expensive. Average household bills are increasing due to the rising cost of utilities like gas and electric, as well as the increase in the price of food at the supermarket. All this is putting pressure on tenants and homeowners to make cutbacks in key areas.

Many are attempting to make savings by cutting out luxuries like clothing, high end food, consumer electronics, holidays, activities and days out, but there are very few who are capitalising on a little known opportunity to save hundreds of pounds every year, simply by switching energy providers. Most energy providers specialise in gas or electric, and having several suppliers often results in sky high bills. There are a growing number of alternative energy suppliers however, like uSwitch who offer consolidated bills at a reduced cost.

These companies combine all your utilities into one payment that not only often works out much cheaper than paying all your bills separately but it is also much more convenient. Many people have their bills spread across the month, or worse still, arranged quarterly and this makes budgeting quite difficult, as there is a lack of consistency. With an alternative energy supplier, one lump sum is paid monthly, so you know where you stand with your payments, and there are no unexpected shocks.

Some energy suppliers can even provide landline and mobile phone services, at a rate much lower than better known network providers, and this is an area where big savings can be made. Mobile phone deals have become far more competitive in recent years, and while line rental and a top of the range handset can end up costing in excess of £100 per month, there are deals out there for under £10. Alternative energy suppliers can offer these, making you a huge saving each month.

You might think that providing all these separate services would result in a reduced level of quality or customer service, but rest assured that alternative energy suppliers are not only cost effective, they have the customer support and backup to match more traditional energy suppliers like British Gas or N Power. Just like these more established companies, alternative energy suppliers can offer help and guidance with questions and complaints.

If you’re not convinced, alternative energy suppliers are totally transparent about their pricing, and a quick glance at the uSwitch site will allow you to compare electricity prices with other key suppliers, potentially saving you up to £420 in bills.  Some may not be convinced because the alternative energy brands are less well known and perhaps less trusted than more established names, but with the increased focus on saving money and reducing costs, alternative energy providers could be the future, since they offer a convenient, elegant solution to budgeting problems that many households face as a result of the recession and the necessity to reduce household bills and outgoings as much as possible.

Tags: everyday purchases, alternative, budgeting, uswitch, food, switch providers

Investigation over energy mis-selling to be carried out

It has been revealed recently that four of the big six energy giants in the UK are at the centre of an investigation over the mis-selling of energy to UK consumers. The investigation is to be carried out by the UK energy regulator Ofgem, which said that it had received complaints and reports from various sources suggesting that the four energy companies may have breached regulations with regards to energy sales.

The four energy giants that are facing questioning from the regulator as part of the investigation are Npower, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy, and EDF Energy. The investigation centres around sales made by the firms on both a face to face basis and over the telephone. It comes following new regulations that were brought in at the start of this year with regards to the sale of energy  contracts to consumers.

According to Ofgem more than 50 percent of energy customers that switched in 2008 did so after being contacted by an energy sales person, but in many cases the customers ended up on a more expensive tariff because they had been misled over their energy costs or had not been able to effectively compare costs against their existing tariffs.

The four energy giants have said that they will fully cooperate with Ofgem in the investigation, which will centre around whether they have breached the new regulations that were brought in at the start of this year. The new regulations required energy firms to ensure that estimates were given before any face to face contract were concluded and where possible comparisons were given to the consumer with regards to pricing compared to their existing provider.

Andrew Wright, of Ofgem, said: “We expect all suppliers to comply with these tougher obligations, but if our investigations find otherwise, we will take strong action.”

Tags: energy companies, energy regulator, energy, energy customers, regulator, Scottish Power, United Kingdom, EDF Energy

Consumers advised on avoiding winter fuel hikes

With winter well on the way many people may already be getting nervous about the cost of their energy usage, and this is something that particularly concerns certain vulnerable groups such as the elderly or low income families. With many people already struggling with their finances even before having to worry about fuel bills experts have advised those concerned to take steps as early as possible to avoid costly bills.

It is advisable for those that are worried that their bills may shoot up too high over the winter period to look at other options available to them before winter sets it, and for many this may be a case of looking for a cheaper provider in the area. The cost of energy usage can vary from one provider to another so it can be well worth taking the time to look at other options and providers.

Consumers are easily able to compare the prices on offer from a wide range of energy suppliers that service their areas by going online, and a number of comparison sites are available that will make the process easier and faster. By simply typing in some details about their property and usage habits consumers can quickly find out which supplier is likely to be the cheapest, and can then easily switch and start saving money.

One consumer stated: “I was with the same energy firm for years and years, and slowly but surely I could see my energy bills getting higher and higher. It came to the point where I was paying a fortune for my energy, and I was too nervous to use the heating and hot water even in winter. However, I finally took the plunge, went online, and switched suppliers, and over the past couple of years by energy bills have been far more reasonable and affordable.”

Tags: ventilating, energy bills, cheaper provider, energy usage, fuel, energy, energy suppliers, usage

Energy price increases described as depressing

Over recent years there has been a lot of controversy over the amount that customers have been charged for their energy usage in the UK, and whilst prices have gone up and down the UK’s major energy suppliers have been accused of being quick to increase prices when the cost of wholesale energy goes up but being very slow to apply changes when the costs go down.

One comparison site, confused.com, has recently stated that the price of energy usage looks as though it is set to increase again, and has described this as ‘depressing’. One official from the company said that the end of cheap energy rates was coming from some providers, and this would make for depressing news for households, many of which are already struggling with their finances.

Energy analyst, Lisa Greenfield, said that companies such as E.On and EDF Energy looked set to end cheap rate offers, and on top of this it looked as thought the cost of wholesale energy was set to increase again. This, she said, all pointed towards energy prices in the UK increasing, and would come as bad news for those that were already on the financial edge. The move could once again send many households into fuel poverty, where 10 percent of more of their household income goes on energy costs.

Greenfield did suggest that those looking to avoid having to pay more on their gas and electricity bills, at least for the foreseeable future, could go online and compare energy prices from a range of other suppliers. She said that it could be worth consumers trying to find a cheap, fixed deal with energy suppliers before the deals were withdrawn, as they could then lock in a lower price for a set period of time to save money on their monthly gas and electric bills.

Tags: compare energy prices, energy, energy suppliers, energy rates, energy costs

Energy firms probed over price differences

Two UK energy firms are being quizzed and investigated by regulators over differences in prices in different parts of the country, according to recent reports. Questions are being asked over why the energy providers are charging a particular price in one part of the country and a different price in another part of the country.

Amongst the discrepancies that appear to have been picked up is the fact that the price that the companies are charging in areas where they need to compete more is different to the price being charged in other areas. According to reports the two energy firms, which have not been named, are being asked ’serious questions’ by the UK’s energy regulator, Ofgem.

Ofgem has stated that if an official investigation is launched following the initial questioning then the two energy suppliers will be named. It was announced last year that energy firms could not apply price differences for no reason and that any difference in prices for energy usage had to reflect differences in cost to the actual supplier.

These changes, which were brought in last year by Ofgem, resulted in many energy customers seeing their bills falling, and in recent months the prices for those that were using a prepayment meter had dropped impressively from £111 to £69.

Whilst the questioning of the two energy firms continues industry experts have suggested that consumers who feel that they are being charged too much on their energy usage look into switching to a different provider. Many are surprised to find that when they do this they can get their energy far cheaper than with their current provider.

Christine McGourty, director of Energy UK, said: “Suppliers compete across all payment methods and tariffs, so it is important for customers to shop around to make sure they are on the best deal.”

Tags: energy providers, energy suppliers, ofgem, energy regulator, energy

Energy firm breaches new rules

It has been revealed that an energy firm has recently been found guilty of breaching new regulations with regards to consumer complaints. According to a recent report EDF Energy failed to record customer complaints properly in line with regulations. The breach is said to have occurred between October 2008 and March of last year.

The report claims that the problem has now been rectified and the energy supplier has had to pay £200,000 to charities that help consumers. As a result of the payment that the energy supplier has made the UK’s energy regulator, Ofgem, has decided against imposing a separate fine against the energy firm.

The regulations that the company was found to have breached were introduced in 2008, and this is said to have been the first investigation since the rules were brought in. The energy firm is said to have taken immediate action to put the matter right. The rules had been brought it try and improve customer service levels from energy firms, which typically receive a huge number of complaints relating to customer service and billings.

The regulations aimed to ensure that consumer could contact the energy firm and have to explain the situation just once, and the complaint would be properly recorded so that the matter could be resolved or continue to be dealt with effectively. This also made it easier to monitor how long it took for the complaint to be resolved, helping to ensure that it was sorted out within the specified timescale.

EDF Energy said: “When Ofgem first identified in January 2009 that the number of complaints we had recorded was lower than expected, we immediately instigated a review and developed a robust action plan to resolve the matter. The actions we took led to an almost immediate and sustained improvement, such that our recorded complaints are now fully consistent with our expectations and with other suppliers.”       

Tags: Complaint, line, energy firms, energy, EDF Energy, Electric power, customer, energy supplier

Energy firm switches customers to higher priced tariffs

German owned energy firm NPower has shifted tens of thousands of its customers onto higher priced tariffs in a bid to retaliate at the energy regulator Ofgem. The move comes after Ofgem said that companies must only offer deals to customers that reflect the actual cost of providing the power.

The requirement was made by the regulator in a bid to reduce the cost of energy for many customers. However, Npower has been described as acting ‘petulantly’ by stating that it works both ways and subsequently moving thousands of its customers onto deals that could see them paying up to 25 percent more for their energy.

The supplier, which has over six million customers, said that the changes that Ofgem has made to its licensing requirements has forced it to cancel the deals that have seen customers moved over to more costly tariffs. Whilst some of the customers that have been switched had come to the end of their special deals, others had taken deals that had no expiry date attached and have simply found themselves simply shunted onto poor value deals.

An official from a popular comparison site said that Npower had turned the tables on the regulator but offering its consumers poor deals as a result of the changes when the regulator had been aiming for consumers to get better results because of the changes that it has put into place.

He said: “This is a petulant move from Npower which demonstrates its disregard for customers who signed up to cheaper online tariffs. Ofgem’s guidelines were designed to encourage energy providers to offer all customers equally good deals, but Npower seems to have turned that on its head and decided to offer all customers equally bad ones.”

Tags: tariffs, energy, energy providers, Npower, ofgem

Households struggling with winter fuel bills

According to recent reports there are now many households that are struggling with winter fuel bills as a result of very cold weather coupled with lack of price cuts from energy suppliers. The high energy bills that some households are having to try and cope with will add further strain to the already difficult financial situations of many people.

The average amount that households are expected to pay for the fuel that they used over the winter period is £532.70, and this takes it above the previous record of £475, reflecting an increase of over £50. Many have been keeping the heating on for longer during the cold weather and this has driven up the cost of their energy bills.

Whilst the spring is officially here and summer is only around the corner there are still warnings of cold weather being released, and this means that consumers are likely to continue using their heating at a time of year when they might usually have stopped using it. Many are also putting the temperature up when using their heating, which can also make a big difference on bills.

The figures relating to winder fuel bills were put together by Energyhelpline.com, which has accused the government of failing to stand up for consumers. Whilst wholesale prices on energy have fallen dramatically by around 60 percent there are concerns that household energy usage costs have only dropped by around 15 percent coming nowhere near reflecting the saving that the energy firms are making.

Officials are also concerned that some people may be receiving inaccurate bills and paying more than they need to because they do not take the time to check the bills. Consumers are also being advised to try and switch providers to get a better deal.

Energyhelpline.com stated: ‘In a privatised energy market, there is little governments can do and they need to be honest and tell people that the only way to reduce their bills is by taking personal responsibility to find the best deals.’ 

Tags: previous record, energy bills, energy suppliers, responsibility, wholesale prices, market, Heating

NPower named as Britain’s worst utility company

The German owned energy firm NPower has recently been named as the worst utility company in Britain, topping the tables as Britain’s worst supplier after the consumer campaign group Which? carried out a poll that involved surveying eight thousand respondents.

Owned by the German company RWE, Npower has around 6.5 million customers in the UK, but the majority of them are not happy customers according to the results of the Which? survey. Only 27 percent of customers with NPower said that they were satisfied with the service, leaving the vast majority of customers unhappy with the service.

Whilst Npower rated the worst in any Which? survey on history, the report also showed that the customer service levels amongst the big six energy suppliers was all inadequate. British Gas received a customer service satisfaction level of just 37 percent, and Eon received a slightly higher 39 percent. Scottish Power received 40 percent and Scottish & Southern Energy achieved a more respectable 50 percent satisfaction level.

Officials from Which? said that the results for all energy providers was poor and reflected a poor level of customers service, adding that customers should be happy with the service that they are receiving rather than just satisfied. He said that the results reflected the poor state of Britain when it came to the commitment of energy firms.

He stated: ‘Our latest survey adds to the dismal picture of Britain’s utilities in 2010.’

However, an Npower spokesman said that the company was committed to its customers and aimed to provide a service that would keep them happy.

He said: ‘Our aim is to see our customers happy, not just satisfied – and we’ve been working really hard to make customer service the focus of our company.’

Tags: energy providers, energy firms, worst supplier, energy, Npower

Many households could benefit from cut in energy prices

Over the past year many households in the UK have seen their finances take a battering for one reason or another. One of the things that has really impacted on household finances is the rising cost of energy, which soared twice last year. Read more

Tags: energy cuts, energy, mortgage, poverty, british gas, benefit, energy prices, reason

Increase in people not happy with energy firms

A recent report has indicated that an increasing number of people are no longer happy with their energy firms, with this year’s price hikes playing a large part in how satisfied consumers are with their energy suppliers. The study was recently carried out by price comparison website uswitch.com, and found that whilst around 33% of consumers were dissatisfied with their energy supplier this time last year, this figure had now risen to around 41% of consumers. Read more

Tags: energy, recent report, following, market, month, spokesperson

Elderly plan to cut back on heating the home

As winter approaches many consumers – particularly the elderly and those on low incomes – are thinking about how they will be able to afford to heat their homes, with energy bills at sky high levels. It is thought that millions will resort to heating just one room in the home in order to cut back their bills, as energy firms have failed to reduce their prices even thought the price of crude oil has fallen dramatically since the summer, plummeting by almost 50%. Read more

Tags: bit, energy, single day, Elderly plan, Energy conservation, elderly, fuel costs, Energy economics

Recent revelations from energy satisfaction survey

The big six energy firms in the UK have faced controversy for quite some time, with problems relating to customers service and billing, inaccurate prices, and of course in relation to the huge price hikes enforced, with two rounds of price increases having taken effect over the space of this year. Many households are facing fuel poverty, with officials claiming that since the start of this year gas bills have increased by over 50% and electricity bills by close to 30%. Read more

Tags: oil, research, energy prices, energy, Consumer Focus, petrol, satisfaction tables

Gas bills could rocket within the space of a year

A recent report claims that gas bills could rocket within the space of a year, with some households paying in excess of £1000 a year for their gas usage. The cost of gas usage went up earlier this year, along with electricity prices, and the energy firms are now in the process of raising prices or arrange price raises for later in the year, blaming a rise in the cist of wholesale energy prices for the increase in energy usage costs. Read more

Tags: Readings, global contagion, inflation, household budget, significant proportion

Does inflation level mean that rate cuts are ruled out?

Inflation levels over recent months have been soaring, and in July inflation hit the highest levels since records began in 1997. coming in at 4.4%. In fact, inflation has been soaring for quite some months, and has been way over the government target of 2%. The latest rise in inflation has resulted in the rate of inflation being more than double that set by the government. Read more

Tags: Worryingly, concern, inflation, oil, Business Finance, energy

Gas bills set to rocket

According to a recent warning from energyhelpline.com gas bills are set to soar over the coming months for UK families, with annual bills set to rocket from an average of £600 a year to £1000 a year. Gas and electricity prices soared earlier this year after wholesale energy prices went up, so families have already been hit hard by energy bill hikes, in addition to rises in the cost of food, petrol, and other bills such as water and council tax. However, officials warn that things are set to get much worse.
Read more

Tags: food, energy, gas bills, electricity, average electricity bill, Wholesale

Insurance warning for gardeners

Homeowners have been advised to do their homework before planting trees in their garden to reduce the risk of subsidence.

Research from Sainsbury’s has shown that around 9.7 million intend to plant at least one tree in their garden but has warned that such good intentions can lead to subsidence and home insurance claims in the long term.

Around 12 per cent of money that Sainsbury’s hands out to its customers is for subsidence caused by trees and vegetation.

Neil Laird, home insurance manager for Sainsbury’s, said: “It’s great news that so many of us are good-intentioned when it comes to planting trees but it’s important that we don’t put our properties at unnecessary risk of subsidence. Our advice is to do your homework before putting spade to soil.”

The warning comes as Bupa has advised homeowners that doing the garden can help people keep fit.

An hour of lawn-mowing burns as many calories as an hour’s bike ride at ten miles per hour while planting seeds for an hour uses as much energy as two games of badminton.

Tags: vegetation, planting trees, Nectar loyalty card, homeowners, research, long term.Around, tree, energy

Latest energy hike provides ‘green light to switch’

With the last of the big energy suppliers announcing an increase in its premiums consumers now have the “green light to switch” providers, one financial expert has claimed.

Money advisers Which? stated that spenders ensure they have the best deal when it comes to their mobile phone tariff and this should be no different for their energy bills.

Scottish and Southern Energy announced last week that its prices for electricity customers will rise by 14.2 per cent on average.

Siobhan Parker of Which? said that this latest price increase is the “green light to switch”.

“Everyone’s feeling the post-budget pinch and making sure you’re getting the best deal for your home energy is a smart and easy way to take some of the pressure off,” she continued.

Which? said that customers should use their buying power to show they mean business, and switch to a cheaper supplier.

Meanwhile, Scottish and Southern Energy increases mean that prices for gas customers will increase by 15.8 per cent.

Home energy bills have now smashed the £1,000 per year mark for many households.

Tags: energy, Scottish, southern energy, business, Everyone, best deal, pinch

National Grid fined £41.8m by Ofgem

Power distributor the National Grid has been fined £41.8 million by energy watchdog Ofgem for breaching competition law and harming customers.

The fine is the largest ever imposed by the regulator for behaviour which allegedly prevented suppliers from contracting with other companies for cheaper metering deals.

Sir John Moog, Ofgem chairman, said: “National Grid has abused its dominance in the domestic gas metering market, restricting competition and harming consumers.

According to the watchdog, the National Grid made a number of long-term contracts with five of the six main energy suppliers to supply and maintain gas meters.

The contracts included financial penalties imposed on suppliers if they replaced more than the small number of meters allowed under the contract by National Grid.

Ofgem said that this has severely restricted the rate at which suppliers can replace even National Grid’s older meters with cheaper or more advanced meters from rival operators.

Meanwhile, the National Grid has launched an appeal against the verdict, insisting that it has not harmed any of its competitors.

Tags: gas, energy, competition law, term contracts, power, Sir John Moog, Grid

Homeowners ‘can’t afford to be passive’ about energy deal

As energy prices rise homeowners “can’t afford to be passive” about the tariffs they are charged by their electricity suppliers, according to an industry watchdog.

Energywatch said that despite the rising prices, consumers should certainly shop around for the best tariffs, particularly those who are still with their existing provider as new customers receive more competitive deals.

Georgina Walsh, spokesperson for energywatch, said: “It’s well worth switching because you can probably save at least £100, even if you change to another supplier on the same tariff.”

If increasing numbers of consumers switched it would encourage providers to become more competitive, she added.

With combined household bills for electricity and gas reaching an estimated £1,000 per year, Ms Walsh called for more consumers to be more proactive.

Last week E.ON became the fifth of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers to raise its prices in response to reported price rises on wholesale gas and electricity.

Npower, British Gas, EDF Energy and Scottish Power have all raised their prices by over ten per cent this year.

Tags: gas, industry watchdog, Ms Walsh, energy, energywatch

Government postpones EPC on new builds

In another change to the roll out of the controversial Home Information Packs, the government has announced a delay in the need for new build properties and conversions to require an EPC or Energy Performance Certificate, which forms part of the HIPs.

This requirement was due to start in January, but has now been postponed until 6th April next year, at which time the home builder will be responsible for the provision of an EPC.

The government has experienced a number of delays in the roll out of HIPs, which at present are only required for properties of three bedrooms or more but are meant to be rolled out to all properties.

An official from Easier2move stated: “We are disappointed the government has chosen to delay the introduction of EPCs on all new build homes until April 6 2008 – putting the launch three months behind schedule.”

She added: “Not only does this disadvantage purchasers of new build properties, who will be missing out on EPCs, but will also be a blow for energy assessors who are already struggling to find work due to the delayed HIP launch and consequent phased roll-out – this further delay will therefore be a great disappointment to them.”

She also said: “We hope the government realises the strain that this delay will be putting on energy assessors and will continue with its stated agenda going forward. In addition, to ensure confidence in the market is maintained, we urge the government to introduce the phased roll-out of HIPs on one and two bed properties as a matter of urgency.”

Tom Smith
14th November 2007

Tags: performance, energy, certificate, information, packs, home, epc

Hips may be universal by October

The Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp) is calling on the government to extend the introduction of Home Information Packs (Hips).

Officials at the organisation say that Hips could be applied to homes with three bedrooms or more from September and the rest of the market could follow just one month later.

The government was forced to announce that Hips would only be introduced to the home-selling process for properties with four bedrooms or more from August 1st after concerns about there being too few accredited energy assessors available.

However, Ahipp says that there are plenty of accredited energy assessors available now and even more on their way.

“According to our own research, in addition to the 1,340 accredited assessors, there are a further 1,200 assessors who have applied for accreditation and will be fully accredited by the end of July,” said Paul Broadhead, deputy director general at Ahipp.

“With this in mind, government will easily meet the 2,000 target that it suggests is needed to provide Hips for homes with three bedrooms or more.

“As a result, I see no reason why, in line with its implementation plan, government could not introduce mandatory Hips for three bedroom properties from September, with the rest of the housing stock soon to follow, perhaps as soon as October,” he added.

Mr Broadhead went on to say that he fully expected Hips to be mandatory in the home-selling process for all properties before the end of the year.

Tags: month later.The government, market, information packs, September, target, August, energy, information

Govt still committed to Hips

The government remains committed to the introduction of Home Information Packs (Hips) in August.

Secretary of state for communities and local government Ruth Kelly has reassured homeowners that the government has no plans to back out at this late stage.

Hips will be mandatory in the sale of any house with four or more bedrooms from August 1st, with a view to a wider roll-out in the future.

Some concern had been raised that Hips would be completely scrapped following a humiliating government u-turn over whether they should be introduced to all home sales.

It was eventually announced that Hips would only apply to homes with four or more bedrooms but Ms Kelly has now offered some more details on how the packs will be phased into the entire property market.

She outlined how many energy assessors will be needed for the phased introduction and homeowners are being offered financial incentives to get a Hip before the August 1st deadline.

The reassurances from Ms Kelly have been welcomed by the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (Ahipp).

“Ruth Kelly has today provided much needed clarity for consumers, the Hip industry and energy assessors and she has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the future of Hips,” said Ahipp director general Mike Ockenden.

“We now call upon all industries that touch the home buying and selling process to get behind the implementation of Hips, in order to deliver the benefits to home sellers and buyers.”

Tags: future, market, hips, packs, Home Information Pack, energy, phased introduction, law

Hips delayed

Home Information Packs (Hips) are to be delayed following months of wrangling between industry officials and MPs.

Communities secretary Ruth Kelly has told the House of Commons that Hips will not be introduced on June 1st as promised but will instead be phased in from August 1st.

The announcement comes just ten days before the packs were due to introduced to the home-selling process and just one day before they were to be debated in the House of Lords.

Only days ago the government won a vote in the House of Commons in which it said Hips should be introduced on June 1st.

Now Ms Kelly has revealed that the date has been put back because there are insufficient numbers of surveyors trained and accredited to provide Energy Performance Certificates.

This comes despite recent assurances to the contrary and led to opposition MPs berating her in the Commons.

Ms Kelly remained adamant that Hips would eventually be introduced in the UK but said that the initial August 1st rollout would only apply to four-bedroom homes.

Tags: insufficient numbers, hips, Home Information Pack, house, mps.communities secretary ruth, energy, recent assurances, Commons

Hips legal challenge “groundless”

Home Information Packs (Hips) continue to cause a storm within the housing market but it seems that they will be given the go-ahead.

Communities and Local Government (CLG) has pledged that it will continue with the planned introduction of the packs and has reacted angrily to threats of legal action.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) this week commenced Judicial Review proceedings against CLG over a ‘failure to carry out proper consultation prior to implementing new legislation to bring in Hips’.

CLG has slammed the legal challenge and promised that Hips will become a part of the home-selling process.

“This challenge is groundless, and we will proceed with the packs being introduced on June 1st,” said a spokesman for CLG.

“This is a shocking example of a vested interest wanting to water down important environmental information.”

Meanwhile a debate in the House of Commons over the introduction of Hips ended in victory for the government and housing minister Yvette Cooper sang the praises of Hips and in particular Energy Performance Certificates.

“The certificates will give people’s homes an energy rating for the first time,” she told MPs.

“They will give people not only the rating on their home but information on what they can do about it – what their fuel bills are likely to be and how they can cut them.”

Tags: housing minister, Yvette Cooper, MPs, June, government, shocking example, Commons, energy