A rare chance to influence energy legislation
8 Jun 2011
London – Process sector companies should make sure they make their voices heard when it comes to shaping current and future energy legislation, by responding to the government’s Red Tape Challenge.
The ‘challenge’ was launched in April 2011 with the aim of engaging with different industries to gather feedback on current UK legislation. The ultimate aim of the government exercise is to simplify the regulatory landscape for businesses.
David Cockshott, director of industrial and commercial markets at npower, says: “The UK’s business community has been given a unique opportunity on an unprecedented scale to have its say on energy legislation and we are urging them to get involved and make their voices heard.
“We know from conversations with our own customers that businesses find it difficult keeping track of the legislation or potential legislation affecting them, from the EMR to the CRC. Now businesses can tell the government exactly what policies they think should be scrapped, merged with existing regulation, simplified or left as they are.
“This type of opportunity to influence legislation does not come along everyday and we urge businesses of all shapes and sizes to take the time now to have their say on the energy policy of the future.”
According to npower, its own research has revealed strong business opinion on current and proposed energy legislation.
When asked about the proposed Electricity Market Reform (EMR) nearly half of companies surveyed believed the EMR would be complex and unwieldy for business. Similarly, research conducted to coincide with the first anniversary of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) found that 45% of businesses want to see the CRC scrapped.
Armed with these findings, npower has launched its own ‘Red Tape Challenge – Have Your Say’ campaign to give businesses the opportunity to influence current and future energy regulation affecting the sector.
At www.npower.com/redtape, businesses can have their say on the energy policies they think should be scrapped, merged with existing regulation, simplified or left as they are.
Once feedback has been gathered, the energy company will submit its findings on behalf of business to the government’s Red Tape Challenge ahead of the utilities and energy sector’s consultation deadline on 27 Oct.
“We understand that everyone is busy, which is why we are launching our ‘Red Tape Challenge – Have Your Say’ campaign,” said Cockshott. “It simplifies the process and is designed to provide businesses with a less time-consuming way to air their views on current energy related legislation.”
