Category Archives: Industry News

Every Home And Small Business Will Be Offered A Smart Meter By The End Of 2020

Measures to ensure consumers continue to get the most out of their smart meters have been introduced to parliament in the Smart Meters Bill (Wednesday 18 October).

Every home and small business in Great Britain will be offered a smart meter by the end of 2020, saving consumers billions of pounds over the course of this vital national infrastructure upgrade.

The Bill, first announced in the Queen’s Speech, will enable the government to continue to regulate the roll-out of smart meters up to completion at the end of 2020.

It will also help the government to act on the results of any findings made after 2020 that could improve the experience for consumers and small businesses.

The legislation will also ensure consumers are protected in the unlikely event that the company running the national smart meters communications infrastructure, currently the Smart Data and Communications Company, were to become insolvent.

This will bring the programme in line with other utilities such as water and energy network companies.

Energy Minister Richard Harrington said:

The roll-out of smart meters continues at pace with almost 7.7 million already operating in Great Britain and nearly 350,000 being installed every month, bringing an end to estimated bills and helping people to save energy and money.

Every home and small business will be offered a smart meter by the end of 2020. The Bill published today will ensure consumers continue to get the most from their smart meters once installed, during and beyond the roll-out.

Smart Meters Bill Q&A (PDF, 208KB, 5 pages)

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John Lewis Teams Up With NICEIC To Create Home Solutions

High street giant John Lewis has teamed up with NICEIC for a new service it is rolling out in a number of areas across the UK.

Home Solutions will put customers in direct contact with professional tradespeople that it has carefully checked, vetted, interviewed and assessed.

The service was trialled in Milton Keynes earlier this year and will operate in six other locations including Cardiff, Bristol, Newport, Bath, Taunton and Gloucester.

NICEIC CEO Emma Clancy said: “We are delighted to be working with John Lewis on the electrical side of this initiative.

“Home Solutions brings together two trusted brands and will provide further opportunities for our contractors to win more work.”

John Lewis approached NICEIC last year to find electricians for the launch of the scheme.

Several NICEIC registered contractors signed up to take part and a rigorous recruitment process was put in place, which included interviewing the tradespeople, background checks, and assessments of work they had done previously.

“The John Lewis brand is associated with quality and so we felt it was a natural fit for NICEIC,” added Emma.

“John Lewis wanted a brand they could trust and we felt this was something that would appeal to our registrants. One of the key requirements was that everyone involved was a reliable and high quality tradesperson.

“There is no cost to sign up. It is completely free and a great opportunity for contractors to grow their business and be associated with one of the most recognised and respected names in the market.

“John Lewis is also keen to get female tradespeople on board so NICEIC’s Jobs for the Girls campaign was of great interest to them.”

John Lewis customers will be able to hire plumbers, electricians, decorators and other trades through the app, website and call centre-based service.

“As a trusted retailer of home products, our customers often ask us if we can help them with tasks in their homes,” said Tom Athron, who is group development director at the John Lewis Partnership.

“We have taken a lot of care to find professionals who will deliver service to the standard that people expect from John Lewis.”

To find out more visit www.johnlewishomesolutions.co.uk

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Schneider Electric Agrees To Buy Aveva

French industrial group Schneider Electric has agreed a takeover of Aveva a UK engineering software developer, in a deal worth more than £3bn.

Shares in Aveva surged almost 25% in early trading on Tuesday 5th September, after the UK engineering group announced plans to merge with the software division of French giant Schneider Electric.

The deal, which will create a company worth approximately £3bn and will be completed by the end of 2017, is a case of third time lucky, as over the last three years Schneider has twice tried to merge with Aveva.

“I believe in this case, in the third period, things are different,” Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Schneider Electric’s CEO and Chairman told CNBC.

Schneider Electric is expected to take a 60 percent stake in the enlarged group’s stock under the terms of this deal, with the combination being classified a reverse takeover, the companies added. The enlarged Aveva Group stock is expected to remain listed on the London Stock Exchange.