Scottish Energy Scene http://scottishpower.posterous.com News and Views on Tartan Power posterous.com Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:10:00 -0700 We're back - an energy catchup http://scottishpower.posterous.com/were-back-an-energy-catchup http://scottishpower.posterous.com/were-back-an-energy-catchup

Firstly, apologies for the lack of activity over the last few months - we've been stretched for time and unable to keep the blog going to a decent level. Things have settled down a little now, and we are now back in the swing of things. Fortunately, it's been a quiet couple of months for the Scottish energy sector, so we haven't really missed all that much - haha ;). In order to save you from us trawling through all the events of the last few months, we thought that some edited highlights of what has caught our attention should suffice:

Energy prices go up again - there has been another round of price increases, further increasing the pressure on consumers. This was swiftly followed by the PM causing confusion over energy bill plans.

Scottish Hydro YouTube channel - some interesting and useful videos from the energy company, including this one on how to bleed your radiator.

Glendoe gets going

These are some of the main events of the last few months - what have you noticed?

 

 

 

 

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Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:45:00 -0700 Energy providers and customer satisfaction http://scottishpower.posterous.com/energy-providers-and-customer-satisfaction http://scottishpower.posterous.com/energy-providers-and-customer-satisfaction

How are the UK's energy providers doing in terms of pleasing the consumer?

Given that the UK's retail energy market is competitive, making people happy by providing the best service is a big factor in the success of anyone operating in the sector. So it was interesting to see this week what the latest National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) has to say.

The NCSI, which is produced by consumer insights specialists CFI, is a quarterly look at how companies in a number of sectors are faring. The customer satisfaction level overall for the quarter is up slightly, with gains being made by some energy providers.

Top of the list for customer satisfaction in the utilities list for the most recent quarter being reported on is Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), who have risen on the index and now have a score of 73 - a result which, says the CFI Group, puts SSE "well ahead of the rest of the 'Big Six' energy companies".

Spring

 

 

 

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Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:26:00 -0800 Samsung to invest £100m and create 500 jobs in Fife http://scottishpower.posterous.com/samsung-to-invest-100m-and-create-500-jobs-in http://scottishpower.posterous.com/samsung-to-invest-100m-and-create-500-jobs-in

The new year is starting promisingly for Scotland with talk of over 500 jobs being created in Fife. Korean super company Samsung are intent on bringing a project to develop a new generation wind turbine at a reported cost of around £100 million.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) the worlds second largest ship builder are planning on basing their maiden European wind project at the Fife Energy Park in Methil.  

The firm plans to test its new, more powerful 7MW turbine offshore at Methil before starting to take orders to build them at the site.

Images2

SHI have also signed a promising deal with engineering company David Brown Gear Systems and it is their gearbox system that shall be used in the new wind turbine.

Alex Salmond the Scottish First Minister is delighted by the news "Their choice of Scotland as their first base in Europe for renewable technology development is testament to the fact this country is fast becoming the European centre for research and development in new offshore wind technologies.”

However not everyone is happy about the increasing number of wind farm developments in Scotland. American billionaire Donald Trump is currently fighting plans to build 11 offshore wind turbines in Aberdeen Bay, which would be in full view of his golf resort. In fact Mr Trump feels so strongly there has been talk of him pulling out of the build.

I guess you can’t please everyone.

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Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:26:00 -0800 The UK make The Solar Top 10 http://scottishpower.posterous.com/94799075 http://scottishpower.posterous.com/94799075

Even with all the uncertainty surrounding the feed-in tariff High Court decisions, it’s not all bad news for solar energy in the UK.

For the first time ever the UK’s solar industry has forced its way into the worlds top 10. This is believed to be at least partly due to the Government incentives which have managed to give a real push to solar panel sales as more and more people try to take advantage of the generous feed-in tariff rate.   

Even with the uncertainty facing the scheme at the moment – the UK is still producing massive amount of solar energy and contributing to the combined worldwide total of 23.8GW. 2011 was a big year for solar with a 1,273% increase in solar installations compared to 2010, this was made up of nearly 700MW of smaller sized installations completed along with around 200MW of large-scale developments greater than 50kW.

Index

That data gathered by specialist research company HIS, the actual league table for ‘photovoltaics’ has Italy in the number 1 spot and Germany in number 2. Germany has seen a 20% reduction in solar installs since they reduced their feed-in tariff last year.

In 3rd place is the United States, followed by China, Japan and France. In a respectable 7th place the UK has entered the table with total generation into 800MW.

The US completes the top three, followed by China, Japan and France. With a total well into 800MW, the UK moves into seventh spot globally.

It is great news for the UK to be getting recognised for their support of solar power and hopefully it will inspire even more countries to do the same. After all with the current feed-in tariffs solar power offers a lot of benefits to businesses and homeowners, not to mention the fact it’s doing a great job of reducing our dependency upon fossil fuels.

 

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Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:17:00 -0800 Scotland set for renewables push in 2012... http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scotland-set-for-renewables-push-in-2012 http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scotland-set-for-renewables-push-in-2012

Figures show that there is a pipeline of around £46 billion of investment for renewables in Scotland which should generate up to 17GW of energy capacity.

Fergus Ewing – Scotland’s Energy minister has said he is “relentlessly positive” regarding 2012.

It is believed that such a large scale investment will help create jobs throughout Scotland and put Scotland even further on its path to creating 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. In fact figures showed that in the first quarter of 2011 Scotland had generated 94% of 2010’s entire output.

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Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:22:00 -0800 Highland wind farm is online http://scottishpower.posterous.com/highland-wind-farm-is-online http://scottishpower.posterous.com/highland-wind-farm-is-online

A new wind farm in the Scottish Highlands has finally been connected to the national grid, with the first two turbines now online and generating electricity. This is good news for SSE as it means they are beginning to see a return on what is expected to be a £100 million investment.

The wind farm will be home to 35 turbines in total that once complete will generate around 180GWh a year. At the moment 15 of the 35 wind towers have been erected and the full site is expected to be operational by the end of this financial year.

It is yet another strong move by SSE to further establish themselves as the UK's leading renewable energy supplier SSE’s Managing Director of Renewables Jim Smith said “As the UK’s leading generator of electricity from renewable sources, SSE is committed to helping increase the amount of renewable electricity generation in the UK, and the export of electricity at Gordonbush is a step towards achieving this.”
Source: www.SSE.com

Images

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Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:06:00 -0800 Scotland's new energy boom. http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scotlands-new-energy-boom http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scotlands-new-energy-boom

Granite could be the latest renewable feather in Scotlands growing energy cap. It's always been plentiful in Scotland and Aberdeen is internationally known as the 'Granite City'. 

However a new level of excitement is surrounding this grey rock as there are many who believe it could bring about a second energy boom and go a long way to further strengthening Scotland's place on the energy map.

I know what your thinking.... How can a rock generate energy?

Well....About four miles straight down from the earths surface, the temperature rises by around 150°C. However, the interesting bit is that where there is granite rock, the temperature can rise by as much as 210°C. This is the temperature that can create hot springs, the likes of which have been used for bathing. But scientists now believe that these same “hot rocks” can provide a valuable source for electricity generation. Most importantly if this source was proven efficient it is yet another feasible renewable energy source for Scotland.

Estimates have shown that a demonstrative geothermal energy plant could be constructed somewhere between Aberdeen and Peterhead, and would generate approximately £750 million of investment in its first 10 years of operation. 

However the whole project is relying on whether or not the subterranean granite can generate enough power to keep the plant running. 

If not...we could always use another spa resort.

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Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:51:00 -0800 News: fears over wind farm rejections http://scottishpower.posterous.com/news-fears-over-wind-farm-rejections http://scottishpower.posterous.com/news-fears-over-wind-farm-rejections

Here's a BBC report we didn't want to read - local councils are refusing planning for new wind turbine farms at an 'alarming rate' according to RenewableUK, an industry body.

The organisation has reported that approvals are at their lowest in five years, and were taking than usual to clear.

With wind energy rising above 10% of the UK's total energy consumption this year, these reports are not encouraging - and at this rate are unlikely to keep the UK going in the right direction.

What do you think about this report on the approval processes required for wind farms.

Wind_farms

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Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:13:00 -0700 SSE plans to energise UK energy market.... http://scottishpower.posterous.com/sse-to-give-energy-market-a-jolt http://scottishpower.posterous.com/sse-to-give-energy-market-a-jolt

SSE (Scottish & Southern Energy) is the parent company for Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro, SWALEC and Atlantic. And it would appear that they are attempting to give the energy market a boost by trying to make it easier for new companies to gain a foothold in what is considered a particularly competitive market place.

SSE one of the UK's biggest energy supplier’s is looking forward to auctioning off its entire electricity supply on the wholesale market. Some industry experts are saying that this is going to have a massive effect on the way that the entire energy market operates.

This is the first time such a move has even been hinted at by any member of the ‘Big Six’ energy companies never mind planned and implemented. SSE believes this should go a long way to helping the smaller companies move into the marketplace faster.

SSE said their initial plan is to sell around 25% of their power on the wholesale market by November. However the larger goal is to be selling 100% of their energy on the market by the end of their financial year.

The question is: Will this really make much difference to the consumer?

We’d love to get some opinion on this, so please feel free to leave your comments or get in touch.

Read more on this…

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Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:02:00 -0700 Orkney Islands are the envy of Europe http://scottishpower.posterous.com/orkney-islands-are-the-envy-of-europe http://scottishpower.posterous.com/orkney-islands-are-the-envy-of-europe

The Orkney Islands have long been defined by their weather and harsh conditions, and these days things are no different there’s still few trees or crops and the weather is still pretty dismal. However as shown time and again the harshest conditions can bring the greatest innovations.

The Orkneys have found themselves home to a generation of eco-pioneers intent on using the uniquely harsh weather found around the Orkneys to produce renewable energy. So even though the islands are on the outskirts of Britain they are at the heart of what is making the UK a global leader in the race for renewable energy technology.

The renewable industry is bringing life back to these islands with new jobs, growing communities and a strong supply chain. Companies like the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) are huge in the wave and tidal sector. In fact they are one of the few companies to offer developers the opportunity to test full scale prototypes in the sea. Not to mention the fact that these companies are now employing graduates from the islands and allowing existing businesses to grow.

A large part of the success can be attributed to the support of the local people, who are definitely on board with the exciting new direction their islands are taking. It would appear that things are definitely looking bright for the Orkneys, with the promise of jobs, international investment and to cap it all a £3m investment in the old naval base should help to continue the growth of the Orkneys.

 

 

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Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:34:00 -0700 SSE windfarm still going strong... http://scottishpower.posterous.com/sse-windfarm-still-going-strong http://scottishpower.posterous.com/sse-windfarm-still-going-strong

Scottish and Southern Energy’s Clyde wind farm has been generating green electricity without a hitch for over a month now, and progress is said to be steady.  The site will eventually be home to 152 turbines and should hopefully be completed by 2012, with the first of the 3 sections finished by the end of 2011.

SSE were only able to get things started after coming to an agreement with NATs, the air traffic control body operating in the area. It is believed they had some concerns about the safety of aircraft flying over the area whilst a new radar site is being installed.  

SSE are said to be extremely excited about the project and are looking forward to its completion their Chief Operating Officer stated "Clyde is an important project for SSE and for the achievement of wider renewable energy targets and first generation of electricity from the wind farm is a key milestone."

However it’s not just SSE who is benefiting, the energy giants have invested over £500 million in the project and more than £200 million of that has found its way to Scottish companies via contracts for work.

Another huge bonus for Scotland is that the project has created more than 200 construction jobs until its completion and then a minimum of 30 people will be employed to help maintain and operate the site.

The project is being hailed as a huge step towards Scotland reaching its renewable energy targets with the site expected to have sufficient capacity to power 275,000 homes.  

 

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Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:28:00 -0700 Scottish Hydro Arena to open in 2013... http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scottish-hydro-arena-to-open-in-2013 http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scottish-hydro-arena-to-open-in-2013

Scottish Hydro has pulled off quite a coup today, after plans were announced for Glasgow’s newest cutting-edge events venue.  Scottish Hydro managed to secure a 10 year deal where-by the venue shall be named the Scottish Hydro Arena.

Forecasts show that the new 12,000 seat venue should contribute around £131 million a year to Scotland’s economy after it opens its doors in 2013.

The Arena is looking to host around 140 events a year from music to sports, and should hopefully attract over a million visitors, which would make it one of the worlds most attended venues.

In essence Scottish Hydro will be sponsoring the building, to the tune of £1.5 million per year for the next 10 years. 

Chief Executive of the SECC has said the arena will host an “unrivalled programme of world-class events” and that “To be partnering with a successful and established FTSE top 30 UK brand with Scottish roots is part of our commitment to working with the best in the business.”

If your interested, you can keep up-to-date with the project online at http://www.hydro.co.uk/

 

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Tue, 31 May 2011 08:33:00 -0700 Scotland May Follow Germany's No Nuclear Plan http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scotland-may-follow-germanys-no-nuclear-plan http://scottishpower.posterous.com/scotland-may-follow-germanys-no-nuclear-plan

The recent decision in Germany to begin completely phasing out nuclear dependancy has sparked a rather heated debate within Scottish politics. With Germany having declared plans to shut all their nuclear power stations by 2022, they will be by far the largest industrial power to have taken this step. Moreover it would seem that if the SNP have their way then Scotland will be following suit.

A prominent SNP politician has been quoted as saying it demonstrates the same "route that Scotland wishes to go down". The Nationalist MSP's were all over the announcement as soon as it was made with the Energy Minister Fergus Ewing claiming that the decision in Germany "adds further weight" to the SNP's plans for Scotland to be entirely dependent on renewables within 10 years.

That being said its not all positive from Scotland the Scottish Conservative's energy spokesman Jackson Carlaw has said that the plan for Scotland to be nuclear free by 2020 shows "extreme recklessness" and if a shortfall in energy should occur then we would be forced to buy nuclear energy from England.

It appears from all the back and forth between the two parties, that it comes down to a question of, will renewables be able to meet the demands that nuclear energy currently satisfies, within the rather ambitious time scale that the SNP have set?

As it stands at the moment it seems the SNP have been unable to provide any assurances as to whether renewables will be able to meet this demand or even how they intend to go about implementing what is certainly an ambitious idea.

Personally, I think it would be a good idea to see how the Germans get on first, and use their experiences to help decide what the best choice is for our nation.

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Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:45:00 -0700 Preventing Boiler Breakdowns http://scottishpower.posterous.com/preventing-boiler-breakdowns http://scottishpower.posterous.com/preventing-boiler-breakdowns

The data has been collated following the coldest winter in the UK since 1979, and experts have claimed over 30% of the boilers which broke down throughout this winter coud have been avoided if they had been properly and regularly maintained. The main problems encountered by homeowners were frozen fuel lines, sludge in the systems and a general lack of servicing which led to large numbers of people being left without heat or hot water for extended periods. It seems that a high proportion of the boilers had not had a full service for a number of years and the unusually cold weather stressed the systems beyond what they could handle, leading to the breakdowns.

Heating

The following advice is offered by industry experts to help prevent issues in the future:

 

Ensure your initial central heating installation is carried out by a reputable company

Get your boiler regularly serviced by a reputable company, with oil lines being replaced every couple of years and the boiler is configured using an electronic gas analyser

Ensure any water which has entered into the tank is closely monitored

Remove any sludge from the heating system

Perform regular checks on the level of oil in your tanks to make sure it isn't left empty, which can lead to the the lines needing bled through

Make sure your tanks are filled at the beginning of autumn to prevent a shortage during the colder days in winter

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Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:49:00 -0700 Peterhead Torpedo - environmental surprise http://scottishpower.posterous.com/peterhead-torpedo-environmental-surprise http://scottishpower.posterous.com/peterhead-torpedo-environmental-surprise

In a change to normal posting topics, today we bring you the Peterhead Torpedo - no, it's not a euphemism for a particularly coronary inducing sausage supper from the North East Coast. Scouring the environmental pages of the nation's media we found this story on the BBC News site and had to share.

What's happened is that the harbour area has been closed due to the find - an armed subaquatic warfare device of 'considerable age' had washed up and had to get taken away by the bomb disposal people to get safely detonated elsewhere.

Incredible to think that there is still WW2 era war machinery still in the sea. It's a shame though that stuff like this can't be made safe without detonation - think how much an unarmed german WW2 torpedo would fetch on ebay!

 

1014308_bubbles

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Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:32:00 -0700 Green Energy News - Renewable Heat Incentive http://scottishpower.posterous.com/green-energy-news-renewable-heat-incentive http://scottishpower.posterous.com/green-energy-news-renewable-heat-incentive

The RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) has been making news oon the Scottish energy scene of late. Basically the scheme is there to encourage people and business to go for renewable heat sources, with interest free loans for the purchase of solar panels, heat pumps and so on.

This one doesn't look like it will kickstart a green craze across the UK but it will be extremely useful for people who are looking to get the equipment anyway or who maybe needed the extra incentive to go for it.

According to the Energy Saving Trust's website, the cost of getting solar panels is about 12000 for a 2.2 kilowatts system. Not mega cheap, but the site also says that a 2.2 system can actually generate about 40% of the average households electricity needs, meaning that you get the rest from your Scottish electricity provider (if you're in Scotland, obvs) but not paying as much as you used to.

The RHI is bound to continue to make the news as it's rolled out - we'll report back on it here when we begin to see what the uptake is like.

 

 

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Thu, 24 Feb 2011 03:36:00 -0800 Gas video - a small energy education http://scottishpower.posterous.com/gas-video-a-small-energy-education http://scottishpower.posterous.com/gas-video-a-small-energy-education

I'd heard a lot about LNG (liquefied natural gas) in the press lately but I've always been keen to know more about it. Not in any kind of a degree-level physics and equations kinda sense, just the basics of production. This vid does the trick:

 

 

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Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:03:00 -0800 Central Heating and Weight Control http://scottishpower.posterous.com/central-heating-and-weight-control http://scottishpower.posterous.com/central-heating-and-weight-control

Oh dear, I have just finished reading some articles in some less than reputable daily newspapers, and on reading them I thought that their claims were so far fetched that I had to dig a little deeper. Both the Telegraph and the Mail [both from the same publishing house ...] last month carried stories with large BLACK HEADLINES proclaiming that the reason for the obesity epidemic which is allegedly sweeping the 'developed world' (Europe, the USA & Canada...) is down to ...... wait for it Central Heating Installation! ..... I know.

But as I said these reports were carried in those two papers, and those two are quite renowned for causing a lot of hype out of nothing. As I said earlier there I simply just did not believe what they were printing so I went to google and explored. Right enough almost the top page on the net was a rebuttal on the NHS website stating the facts very clearly, there was a study in a Medical Journal 'Obesity Review' and the journal did propose that ambient temperature had an effect on the metabolic rate, and that more calories may be lost in the cold ..

 

Trends in indoor winter temperatures
The authors cite evidence to show:

 

  • a trend in affluent populations to heat their homes to temperatures closer to the lower limit of the “human thermoneutral zone” (TNZ). The TNZ is defined as the range of temperatures at which the metabolic rate (and therefore energy expenditure) is minimal (25C-27C for a naked adult human).
  • that widespread uptake in central heating and air conditioning have led to expectations of “thermal monotony” and rises in living-room temperatures have been accompanied by rises  in bedroom and hallway temperatures, which were previously maintained at cooler temperatures
  • that workplace temperatures are also thought to be increasing
  • that reduced seasonal cold exposure is exacerbated by reductions in walking and cycling in favour of temperature-controlled cars

Human responses to cold

  • Humans exposed to cold maintain body temperature and conserve heat through different modes of thermogenesis (heat production).
  • There is “indirect evidence” to show that thermogenesis plays a significant role in energy balance. A small number of studies have indicated that effects of mild cold can increase human energy expenditure, with one study suggesting that the energy expenditure of being exposed to mild cold for 10% of the time could be equivalent to an 8kg difference in body weight over 10 years.
  • Studies indicate that this reduced exposure to seasonal cold may minimise the need for thermogenesis, thereby reducing energy expenditure.

There, to cut it down into simple language, when you are cold your bodies produces more heat to remain at body temperature, when you are warm you don't. That isn't quite the same thing as Central Heating has made us overweight. This somewhat short-sighted take on serious science is why newspapers are being taken less and less seriously, by right thinking people. Don't believe what you read in the papers: your sebtral heating is fine.

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Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:32:00 -0800 energy conferences scotland, north west england http://scottishpower.posterous.com/energy-conferences-scotland-north-west-englan http://scottishpower.posterous.com/energy-conferences-scotland-north-west-englan

On the news section of the Scottish Enterprise website it was reported last week that the "renewables and oil industries (are) set for largest ever offshore wind conference" - this took place on Feb 1st (can't see any news items about it) but there are other renewables events forthcoming: 

Scottish Renewables Grid Conference  (10 Feb, Glasgow) 

 

Scottish renewables annual Conference (22nd & 23rd March, Glasgow)

 

Then there's RenewableUK's Offshore Wind 2011 exhibition and conference

 

I quite fancied the idea of going along to some of these -  as someone who takes an interest I though I might learn myself something. But the ticket prices are a bit out of my pocket money range.

If you're going along to any of these and want toshare anything you saw or heard there, please drop us a comment.

 

 

 

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Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:47:00 -0800 Electricity saving? Look no further than Mr Motivator! http://scottishpower.posterous.com/electricity-saving-look-no-further-than-mr-mo http://scottishpower.posterous.com/electricity-saving-look-no-further-than-mr-mo

Edinburgh is a place where you're fairly likely to see famous people. Even if it's not during the festival places like the airport and the upmarket city centre hotels are where you'd be most likely to bump into someone of celebrity status. The St James shopping mall however might not be the first choice for fame spotting.

However, if you're in the Edinburgh St James next Saturday, keep an eye out for a famous name in the shape of none other than Mr Motivator! 

Errr, I hear you cry, --- what's all this this got to do with energy....?

Well it goes like this:

the Scottish power company Hydro has arranged for Mr Motivator to come along to their Eco Zone unit at the centre, and he'll be showing people how much energy is used to boil a kettle, switch on a light, and other things that we do on a daily basis that use the juice. Mr Motivator will hopefully get people saving domestic energy as energetically as he used to get them to burn body energy!

The Eco Zone is a new drop-in information centre where the public are invited to saunter in and learn all about sustainability - and Mr Motivator is making it his base next week. So if you're in Edinburgh, drop by and see what he has to say. You could end up with some great energy saving tips. 

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