Ashley Park Financial Solutions on Smart Energy Meters

Ashley Park Financial Solutions were pleased to see that new research from British Gas has shown that the UK public are getting on board with smart energy meters.

After conducting a survey of its smart meter customers, British Gas found that more than half of those asked are now saving money with these devices, with nearly two thirds of those surveyed saving up to £75 per year. The smart energy meters promote energy efficiency in the home. 

Nine out of ten customers said that they were taking simple daily steps to reduce their energy use. This could be down the the fact that customers can actually see their usage with a smart meter, which displays the cost of the energy currently being used.

The smart energy meter works with a simple traffic light system that serves to encourage people to turn down the amount of gas and electricity they're using where possible. The survey also found that 79% of people using a smart energy meter are now much more aware of their energy consumption..

British Gas are confident that these meters will inspire customers to make small changes, which will in turn make a huge difference to their bills.  

By 2020, smart meters will be install in all British homes, replacing  existing gas and electricity meters. Development of smart meters advanced rapidly in recent months and British Gas hope the will benefit customers greatly. Over a million meters have already been installed in homes and businesses free of charge. 

The new Hive smart thermostat is also being rolled out by British Gas, with more than ten thousand homes undergoing installation since it was launched in September. The thermostat can be linked to a mobile app so customers can control hot water and heating supplies from their phones. 

Ashley Park Financial Solutions think this is great, especially if it saves money! 

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Drop in Cases of Retail Administration

New Year figures indicate a drop of 6% in the number of retail companies entering administration in 2013. There were 183 retail businesses that entered administration in 2013, which is the same figure as that of 2011. In 2012, 192 retailers went into administration. Ashley Park Financial Solutions are certainly glad to see things moving in the right direction.

There was, however an elevated number of retailers entering administration in the final quarter of the year, with 41 retailers in financial trouble compared with 37 for the same period in 2012.

The data was compiled by Deloitte, and their spokesperson has stated that this drop in cases of administration shows a rebalancing of the high street. He cited the losses of Blockbuster and Jessops and predicted that we are less likely to have major high street casualties like these again this year.

While it doesn’t necessarily mean that the demand for high street retail products is increasing, it does indicate that the retailers left standing can benefit from the gaps in the market. Christmas trade was reasonable, though Internet services still seemed preferable, with many shoppers opting to click and collect. January sales have so far been busy, with John Lewis reporting healthy sales.

According to the figures, there has been an overall drop in businesses entering administration this year from 1,833 to 1,629. The only sector that saw an increase in administrations was the health and social care sector. 

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