Domestic Price Cuts

At Phoenix Energy we specialise in business electricity and getting the best possible prices for our customers. In recent times 4 energy suppliers have reduced their rates for domestic customers. Am I being cynical but is it a coincidence that all of the suppliers have reduced rates by the same amount - the 'heirachy' of prices thus will hardly change!

Visit our website for details of our services to business customers and watch this space for details of our new energy comparison site for domestic customers.

http://www.phoenixenergy.co.uk/billing.html


The following artical is courtesy of the BBC


EDF Energy cuts electricity bills

EDF is the second energy provider this week to cut electricity, but not gas bills
EDF Energy has announced it is cutting bills by an average of 8.8% for most of its electricity customers.
Gas tariffs will remain unchanged, EDF Energy said, arguing its prices were still competitive.
The reduction in electricity bills will come into effect on 31 March and will affect 2.3 million of the firm's customers.
E.On cut its electricity bills by 9% on average on Thursday. It also decided to keep gas prices unchanged.
"These reductions will apply in London, South East, South West, Wales and Scotland, benefiting the vast majority of our standard rate customers across the country," EDF said in a statement.
"In other regions, EDF Energy is already offering some of the lowest tariffs on the market".
'Volatile wholesale prices'
Apart from EDF and E.On, competitors British Gas and Scottish & Southern Energy have also announced price cuts.
British Gas is to cut its gas prices by 10%, effective from 19 February while Scottish & Southern will cut the price of electricity by 9% and gas by 4% from 30 March.
The cost of wholesale gas is linked to the price of oil, which has fallen significantly from the peak it reached in summer 2008.
"Although wholesale prices have fallen recently, the market remains volatile. As a result, the outlook for retail prices is still challenging," EDF said.
"Forward annual wholesale prices for electricity and gas remain at relatively high levels."

Networking

At Phoenix Energy we are passionate about networking and passionate about business.

We believe that in these hard and troubled times that small businesses should actively help each other and by sticking together that we will survive the current recession.







Much of our business comes from word-of-mouth referals from existing customers and from networking partners. We strongly believe in building business relationships and are members of local and national networking and business support organisations. Our advice is free and we are also quite happy to direct customers to other help and support organisations. We particularly enjoy talking to new or start up businesses.








We strongly believe in helping local business ,both within our own areas of expertise and through referals to trusted experts in different areas of business.


We are members of the following organisations and believe that 'if we can't help, we know someone who can!'


http://www.surteesbni.co.uk/



http://www.durhambusinessclub.co.uk/




http://www.sunderlandbusinessnetwork.co.uk/


http://www.enterprising-hartlepool.net/

http://www.networknorth.org.uk/index.html


We would be very happy to make introductions to the groups shown above and to any of our business associates.

If you need any introductions please contact us http://phoenixenergy.co.uk/contactus.html and we will assist.

Services for Builders / Property Developers

Dealing with utility providers and organising new supplies and meters, can be a very difficult and time consuming process. Phonix Energy specialise in helping to facilitate this process.

We can organise Electricity / Gas / Water / Telecom / Sewerage supplies and the appropriate metering and registrations.

Phoenix Energy offer a range of services designed to help builders. We can handle any scale of building project, from a single house to a whole industrial estate..........and everything in between! We work with the developer and with your staff and can offer as much or as little assistance as required by the skills and time constraints of your staff.

We work on new builds and also conversions / reburbishments

Our services include:

• Requesting and filling out the appropriate application forms


• Liasing with utility providers


• Handling of all correspondence / written verbal / electronic


• Site visits
• Organisation of quotations and payments
• 
  Processing of applications


• Dealing with contractors


• Organising supply work


• Organising metering
  
• Registration of meters to developers / owners / tenants as applicable

Each of these stages can cause problems and delays - our management of the process and swift intervention can greatly simplify the development.

A typical small developement can easily take a minimum of 2 months from application to metering and a larger or more complex developement may take many months or even years! We offer a fixed price for our services and by using us we will save you time and money.

We sort out the provision of utilities from start to finish ..............all our clients need to do is sign the cheques!

Please check out our website for more details

http://phoenixenergy.co.uk/connections.html

Examples of recent jobs include

New industrial estate - Self storage warehouse, vetinary hospital, motor dealership - utility provision for future developement - electricity supply, gas supply, water supply - (our largest job todate)


New garage developement - new electricity / gas / water supplies and metering


New housing developement - 18 elec meters , 18 gas meters


15 new build flats - water and electrcity supplies and metering


Nursing Home - Conversion into 9 flats - 9 electricity and water supplies and metering


Department Store - conversion into 50 flats - 51 new electricity
meters

Temple - conversion to 23 flats - 25 electrcity meters


2 new build shops - electricity supplies and meters

Commercial electricity supply and meter


Commercial gas supply and meter


Commercial 3 phase upgrade




Domestic gas meter move (our smallest job)

Void Management Scheme for Landlords / Letting Agents

One of the core activities of Phoenix Energy is our 'Void Management Scheme.' This is designed to help landlords / letting / estate agents / councils and asylum providers. - basically anyone managing multiple domestic properties.

Dealing with energy companies can be difficult and time-consuming and the passing of information regarding other people is often met by a wall of 'data protection' rules.
The void management scheme is designed to facilitate the registration of energy accounts and to take hassles away from the staff of the letting agents. (time could be then spent on more productive work!)

All information is passed to a designated account manager and is acknowledged. We will complete the registration of your tenants through the managed housing department of one of the major suppliers. We guarentee that the rates will be amongst the best available for dual fuel in all areas of the UK. (We deal with agencies ranging from Newcasle to Swindon and Chester to Hull!)

Please see

http://phoenixenergy.co.uk/lettings.html


for more details - or phone 0800 458 64 60.

Examples of typical properties we deal with are shown below.


Urban Lofts

City appartments

New build houses

Student flats /HMO

Terraced houses

Another One Bites The Dust!

Concern about the future of independent electricity suppliers grew yesterday after BizzEnergy went into administration and its 40,000 small and medium sized business customers were "sold" for the princely sum of £87.50 each.

British Gas Business, part of Centrica, the international energy group, agreed to pay £3.5m cash for the customer base and maintain the same contract terms shortly after BizzEnergy ceased trading following the failure to attract new funding. Administrative receivers from KPMG handled the deal but 129 out of a workforce of 168 have lost their jobs.

The company is the second independent supplier to collapse in the last two weeks. Electricity4Business (E4B), another small business supplier with 40,000 customers, went into administration after failing to find fresh financial support and struggling to compete in a volatile market.

BizzEnergy, founded in 2000 and still headed by John Devaney, chairman of National Air Traffic Control Services, former chairman of Marconi, Eastern Electricity, Exel, and non-executive director of Northern Rock, claimed to be the biggest independent electricity supplier. Turnover last year topped £175m.

Ofgem, the gas and electricity regulator, is closely monitoring developments amid fears that other small suppliers will go under in a market where the "Big Six" - British Gas, EDF, RWE, E.On, Scottish & Southern and Scottish Power - have tightened their grip.

The regulator has expressed concern about the fairness of small business deals after being told many customers were unaware of contract terms covering a change of supplier. Conditions covering the roll over of contracts are being used by suppliers to lock in small customers said the regulator in a call for reforms to prevent abuses of competition.

Independent suppliers without any capacity to generate power have been at the mercy of the markets and rapidly fluctuating prices. Many small businesses attracted by three year contracts signed up for fixed price deals but their suppliers have had difficulty in finding extra sources of finance to hedge in difficult markets to renew contracts.

Customers with E4B were switched to British Gas by Ofgem without the protection provided by their contracts because E4B had been unable to find a buyer. They were placed on what British Gas maintains is a competitive rate but have the freedom to shop around for cheaper supplies.

The BizzEnergy customers have more breathing space but service advisers say some could face increases of 50pc or more as long-term contracts, struck when prices were lower, come to an end.


It is more important than ever that customers shop around and seek good advice regarding their energy supplies.

One consequence of Bizz Energy going bust is that the customer service (from British Gas!) should dramatically improve!............and also that British Gas might take action regarding the mis-selling that has been associated with the Bizz Energy brand. (type Bizz Energy complaints into google for more information)

E4B in Administration

Power company in administration

Electricity prices have risen sharply this year

An electricity company which supplies 40,000 small businesses has gone into administration, the BBC has learned. A buyer was unable to be found for Electricity 4 Business (E4B), which is based in Milton Keynes, energy regulator Ofgem confirmed.

Customers will not be disconnected, but will automatically be transferred to another supplier in a process organised by the regulator.

Customers' tariffs may change, but they will be free to switch supplier.

A spokeswoman for E4B said they would not be commenting on the situation on Wednesday.
The company had 140 members of staff, of which 100 were made redundant on Wednesday. The remaining staff will stay as the business is run down.

'Unusual'
Existing measures are in place for situations such as this. This will leave thousands of small businesses looking for new deals on their energy in an extremely volatile market
Federation of Small Businesses spokesman. Ofgem will invite other suppliers to take on the business's customers before appointing a supplier.

"This situation is very unusual but not unprecedented," said Philip Cullum, deputy chief executive of watchdog Consumer Focus, formerly Energywatch. "Ofgem has robust procedures in place to make sure that that these very small businesses are not left high and dry without an energy supply." An Ofgem spokesman said that a report regarding the future for customers would be released by the end of the week.

'Cutting costs'
On its website, E4B says that it is aimed at cutting electricity costs for small and medium-sized businesses spending less than £10,000 a year on electricity. It does not produce electricity.
Its customers include a number of sole trader businesses. They will be contacted by their new supplier.

"It is disappointing that E4B is gone," said a spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses.
"This will leave thousands of small businesses looking for new deals on their energy in an extremely volatile market. We would urge Consumer Focus to get involved immediately to ensure new deals offered to small businesses are fair." E4B signed businesses on to relatively long-term contracts which allowed them to pay in regular instalments throughout the year.
It bought electricity at wholesale prices, which have remained stubbornly high over the last year.
"The decision by the directors of E4B to place the company into administration comes as a result of volatility in the energy market," said Stuart Maddison, joint administrator and partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
"We will be working closely with Ofgem to ensure an orderly wind-down of the company's activities and would like to reassure E4B's customers that the administration will not affect their supply of electricity." - (From BBC)


Some Advice from Phoenix Energy

• Cancel direct debits immediately - E4B are in administration - don't pay them any more you will now get it back - let the dust settle and pay up later.
• Read your electricty meter and keep a copy - you may need this later to dispute how much you owe and who to.
• Beware 'the hawks' We believe that the customer database has been sold to marketing companies - customers will be bombarded with calls! - we have heard that these companies are claiming ' customers will be cut off if they don't switch to ....Energy ' - this is NOT the case. Other lies are 'that they have been appointed to help' - again a lie - BEWARE!
• Get independent advice - shop around - done make any rash decisions
• Phone your current broker or consultant - if you don't have one Phoenix Energy will be happy to assist - 0800 458 64 60

Phoenix Energy Business Customers

At Phoenix Energy we specialise in sourcing cheap electricity and gas for our customers. We deal with most of the major energy suppliers and organise new supply contracts for all types of businesses.

Our customers cover the whole spectrum of business users, we have 'no standing charge' products for our very low users and for 'landlord supplies' and for 'void' premises. We can organise electricity supplies for 01 / 02 domestic meters and for 03 / 04 small business meters. We have alternative suppliers who specialise in 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 supplies for larger users and we can organise 00 'half hourly' billed meter supplies for industrial customers.

We can also organise gas supplies and we can cover any amount of gas from 'domestic' quantities to large industrial users.

Please contact us on 0800 458 64 60 for a free no obligation quotation or visit http://phoenixenergy.co.uk/contactus.html for full contact details.


Some of our actual customers are shown below - is your business similar to any of these?
Call us for a free quote.



Farm Hair salon / cafe



Convenience store Public House




Religion Temple Office Block



Estae Agent Enterprise Centre


Call Centres Supermarket


Restaurant Garage





Large Office Small workshop



Our customers cover all business types, from sole traders to PLCs - will bills ranging from £1 to £100000 and everything in between.

Phone 0800 458 64 60 for a free quote or to arrange an appointment.