Category: Energy & Efficiency
Half a billion ‘FastTech’ items thrown away each year, research shows
A discarded vape. Lumafield scans of electric items show the materials within them. Image: Recycle Your Electricals/Lumafield Nearly half a billion FastTech electricals such as cables, lights, mini fans and disposable vapes, were thrown away last year, according to research from Material Focus. The research shows the UK’s consumption of small…
Octopus to buy Shell Energy including broadband service
Octopus has announced it will buy Shell's household energy business in the UK and Germany. Octopus Energy said that it will take over providing energy for 1.4 million homes as well as broadband services for 500,000 customers. Shell's customers are advised to "sit tight for now" as the deal is not expected to be completed…
Insurance provider launches trade-in service for mobile devices
Global tech care company Asurion has launched a new trade-in service in the UK, allowing consumers to easily trade in old mobile devices or tablets and recycle them sustainably. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream globally, with the UK among the top contributors. In fact, the UK generates the second-highest amount of e-waste per person…
British homes add extra £514 million to energy bills by leaving gadgets plugged in
A study of 2,000 adults found most households (86 per cent) are guilty of leaving an average of eight items on standby at any one time – with TVs, microwaves and washing machines being among the biggest offenders. This is costing an extra £20 a year, or £513,766,000 across all UK households, which generates more…
Currys pilots door-to-door collection service for recycling old tech
More than three-quarters of people in the UK (76%) feel guilty that they don't recycle properly Many have no idea that chargers, hair straighteners, headphones and even batteries can be recycled Currys is piloting a new collection service with experts on hand at drop-in sessions to raise awareness on recycling old tech The new pilot,…
Energy Savings: the most expensive appliances revealed
The cost of living crisis has us all wondering how we can save money on our energy bills, which appliances are the most energy-efficient, and which are raking up the most money. Together with the energy experts at Hometree, we have crunched the numbers and revealed the costs of running your home appliances, by looking…
Nearly 2 in 3 motorists clueless about how much CO2 car emits, poll shows
A poll by Carwow, in conjunction with Karai by DriveKey, highlights the majority of motorists don’t know how much CO2 their internal combustion engine-powered (ICE) car emits per year. Carwow, the car buying and selling market place, in conjunction with Karai, the all-new carbon offsetting app, conducted the survey recently and received staggering results. Polling…
Electrical recycling fund launches to tackle growing e-waste challenge
Material Focus, the not-for-profit Recycle Your Electricals campaign for the UK, is launching a new £2.5 million funding opportunity to make it easier for UK households to recycle their electricals. Material Focus’ “Electricals Recycling Fund” will fund two types of projects – those seeking to add household electricals collection services using existing infrastructure, and those…
5 things to do if you suspect an energy provider is overcharging you
As energy costs soar this winter, many British homeowners are struggling to afford bills, especially if they are charged for more than they've used. This year, the UK’s Ofgem warned energy suppliers to tighten up direct debit policies, after several companies were taking too much money from customers on automatic payments. If you think you’re being overcharged…
8 tips to cut the cost of heating bills this winter
Many households will be worried about the impact of rising energy prices this winter - and into next year - following the government’s announcement that the energy price guarantee for all households will now run for just six months, until April 2023. In conjunction with Which? we've found a number of ways consumers can make…
