We've been shortlisted for an ARMA award!

We are delighted to announce that Janey Brockwell, Senior Utilities Coordinator and head of our Property Management Utilities Solutions department, has been shortlisted for the Unsung Hero of The Year Award at the 2019 ARMA ACE awards.

Janey puts her client’s needs above anything else, ensuring she is always available to deal with any issue or emergency, whenever, wherever. Janey’s hard work and dedication has been recognised by this award and we couldn’t be prouder of her!

If you’re in the Property Management sector and are looking for new utility solutions for your portfolio, get in touch with Janey on janey@advantageutilities.com, or on 0207 371 5360.

Climate Change Levy (CCL) increase from Monday 1st April 2019

From Monday 1st April 2019 there will be a nationwide increase in the Climate Change Levy (CCL) which is applied directly to the majority of business energy bills in the UK.

This affects business users of both electricity and natural gas who use more than 1000kWh per month of electricity and/or more than 150 Therms or 4,397kWh of gas per month.

What is CCL?
The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is an environmental tax charged on the energy used by businesses through their supplier. It is designed to encourage energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions. To pay a reduced rate on the CCL charge, energy intensive businesses must enter into a Climate Change Agreement (CCA).

As of 1st April 2019, the CCL charge rates are increasing; electricity by 45% and gas by 67%. 

Main Rates of CCL*:

If you currently hold a Climate Change Agreement, your percentage discount for CCL will be the following*:

Can I reduce my CCL costs?

Because the CCL is billed against your consumption, the primary way to lower your CCL costs is to reduce your future energy usage. Additionally, if you are eligible for but do not currently hold a Climate Change Agreement (CCA), this could be a way to potentially save on your CCL charges.

Get in touch with your account manager today, or speak to us on 0207 371 5360, to find out how Advantage Utilities can help you with your CCL obligations.

*source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-climate-change-levy/climate-change-levy-rates

Advantage Utilities achieves ‘Gold’ Low Energy Company status

Tailoring bespoke energy management solutions that help reduce your usage, be more green and save you money is at the heart of what we do here at Advantage Utilities.

But it’s not just the big things like onsite generation and battery storage that we can help with. We understand the importance of every individual’s actions when it comes to helping reduce energy waste in the workplace through best practice.

We believe in practising what we preach, so we have trained our staff in the Low Energy Company training programme, awarded by the Energy Manager’s Association, achieving the highest award of Gold standard.

The training programme equips our staff with the knowledge and techniques to help drive the change they want to see through their day to day actions, and helps us do our bit in reducing energy wastage.

To find out what small things you and your colleagues can do to make a big difference in your workplace, speak to us today on 0207 371 5360, or speak to your account manager.

Utilitywise goes into Administration

We are saddened to hear the news that Utilitywise – one of the UK’s largest utility consultancies - entered into administration as of Wednesday 13th February.

Advantage Utilities extends our deepest sympathies to all staff who may be affected by this. Please feel free to get in touch with us on 0207 371 5360 to see if we have any suitable roles.

For any customers affected, Advantage are happy to offer our support and guidance for you and your business. Should you require any additional support regarding your portfolio and energy management, our team of highly skilled consultants are here to take your calls and assist where possible.

Call us today on 0207 371 5360 or email us at info@advantageutilities.com if you are looking for advice, information and assistance. One of our expert consultants will get in touch with you straight away.

Advantage Utilities are now an ARMA Partner

We are proud to announce that Advantage Utilities is now a certified Partner of the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA).

ARMA’s mission is to promote high standards of professionalism within the (at present) unregulated property management sector. Being an ARMA Partner means that we are a recommended utility management consultancy, having demonstrated that our transparent, honest and trustworthy business practices match ARMA’s high standards.

Get in touch with our Senior Utilities Co-Ordinator Janey Brockwell on janey@advantageutilities.com to find out how Advantage Utilities can help take the stress out of multi-site utility management.

The 2018 Budget

The 2018 Autumn Budget was presented in the House of Commons yesterday, Tuesday 29th October at 3pm.

Our market analysts and energy experts have reviewed the impact of how British business energy users would be affected and what the Budget could mean for your organisation directly.

Climate Change Levy (CCL)

The CCL is a tax on energy that affects business users in the United Kingdom. It has been designed with the aim of providing an incentive for businesses to increase energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions. There are certain business sectors that are exempt from some or all CCL charges through the Climate Change Agreements (CCAs).

Call us today on 0207 371 5360 and speak to one of our Energy Experts to find out of CCL exemption applies to you.

The Budget has set rates to try and balance the figure users pay between gas and electricity usage. The electricity rate will be lowered in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The gas rate will increase in 2020-21 and 2021-22, so it reaches 60% of the electricity main rate by 2021-22.

The aim is to obtain a ratio of 1:1 power to gas by 2025. The current ratio stands at around 2.8:1.

Carbon Prices

The Budget confirmed the carbon price of £18 per tonne will remain until April 2021. It is the Carbon Price Support (CPS) that has been influential in pushing coal out of the UK generation mix.

It has been confirmed that the Government will seek to reduce the CPS from 2021-2022 if prices remain high. However, there is no clear indication of what would be classed as ‘high’.

The doubling of the floor from £9 to £18/tCO2 in April 2015 also contributed to a reduction in coal output.

It has also been confirmed that  if a ‘no deal’ Brexit should happen, the UK will impose a new Carbon tax that will be set at £16 per tonne.

New Business Energy Efficiency Fund

The Government has pledged to back and fund £315 million of investment into an Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, with the aim of supporting businesses with high energy consumption. It also aims to help companies transition to a low-carbon future and decrease their bills through increased energy efficiency.

We're Finalists at the Energy Awards!

We are proud to announce that Advantage Utilities has been shortlisted for the Energy Awards in the Third Party Intermediary of the Year (Broker) category.

The Energy Awards are the 'Oscars of the Energy Industry', and exist to highlight the outstanding work done by companies and individuals across the sector.

We could not have accomplished this fantastic achievement without the passion, dedication and hard work of our whole team.

We also could not have done this without our amazing clients, whose high praise and gleaming testimonials helped us demonstrate how we put great customer service at the heart of everything we do.

We will continue to strive to improve and expand what we offer so we can keep giving our clients a second-to-none, drop-everything level of service.

Thanks once again to all of our clients for being part of the Advantage family. To all of our prospective clients, thank you for your interest — we look forward to working with you soon.

Well done Team Advantage!

A huge congratulations to our Advantage Utilities super team Charlotte, Terry and Rita, who represented us at the British Heart Foundation London to Brighton bike ride On Sunday 17th June! They completed the 54 mile ride in 6 hours and have smashed their initial fund raising target of £300.

The team have now doubled their fundraising goal and are looking to send £600 to the British Heart Foundation to help them continue their fantastic work in fighting heart disease in the UK.

If you'd like to sponsor our team for the great work they've done, visit their Just Giving page to donate your pledge.