Why can't Britain deal with snow?

We all knew it was coming, so why couldn't we handle it?

If you live in the UK, you would have experienced (or at least heard about) the recent snowfall that has left many areas with up to 8 inches of snow. Warnings were issued, roads were gritted and shoppers panic-bought, with a Tesco store in Aberdare, South Wales selling out of bread and milk the night before. But despite all of the preparations and heads-up that the snow was coming, when it actually came the country came to a virtual stand-still. But why? Why after all these years of getting snow during the winter can Britain not seem to cope with it?

Bread, milk, fruit and fresh meat all sold out in stores across South Wales

(Image source - ITV)

Services

In the days before the snowfall gritters across the country were out in force, making sure all of the main roads were clear. But it seems that’s where they stopped; the main roads. It’s understandable that main roads are made a priority and that budgets mean smaller roads can’t be gritted as much, but in many cases there is no attempt to do anything about these smaller roads and the side-streets. It’s all well and good to make sure the major roads are cleared for traffic, but if the traffic can’t get from the smaller roads to the main ones then what’s the point?

Instead of cancelling trains in advance, why can't providers do something about snow-covered tracks?

(Image source - Metro)

Another service that is also often affected by the snow is transport. As with cars, if roads aren’t safe for buses to drive along then they can’t run. But trains run on tracks, which are never as badly affected by snow as roads. Yet last week, as the snow hit, many services were either delayed severely or cancelled completely. In some cases, trains were cancelled before the snow had actually hit. Rather than preparing for the snow by cancelling trains, why couldn’t providers actually do something to allow their trains to run in the snow?  


Attitude

Whilst a lot of people hate the way snow disrupts normal-day life, many others embrace it, as it gives them the ‘snow day’. The day where it is ‘impossible’ to get to work so you’ll just have to stay at home. For many people that is true because, as mentioned earlier, a lack of gritting on side-streets means many people can’t safely get to work. And with retail workers, if people can’t get to the store to shop then there’s no reason for the store to open. But in many cases, people can get to work. People with access to main roads can easily drive to their offices and places of work. Those who use public transport can get a train and get to work. And those who walk can, well, walk.

Snow doesn't stop everyone from getting to work, so why do so many take the day off?

(Image source - BBC News)

There is a general feeling across the country that when it snows we can’t do anything. But we can, if we just made the effort, and if transport providers made the effort too.


Media

As has already been said, the newspapers have been talking about the incoming snow for weeks. During the past few days, the reports on the weather during news programmes have featured several stories about the snow and residents trying to deal with it, all of which can be simplified to ‘There’s snow’. There seems to be a media frenzy when it comes to the snow. News outlets all seem to be telling us how bad the snow is and how devastating it has been, leading to public panic and the view that they can’t do anything because of the snow.

Should a bit of snow really be making the front pages?

(Image source - Daily Express)

There are many developed countries across the world who are capable of functioning despite heavy snowfall on a regular basis. Surely Britain can find a way to cope for the handful of days every year it snows, especially when everyone knows about it weeks in advance.

White House inaction on climate change is not Obama's fault

Report says environmental groups are to blame

A research paper written by a Harvard academic has suggested that President Barack Obama is not to blame for America’s apparent inaction on tackling the threat of climate change.

Scholar Theda Skocpol, who is due to present her findings at a Harvard forum next month, has instead put the blame for these failings on environmental groups, who she says were blind to extreme Republican opposition to their efforts. These groups failed to consider just how opposed certain groups would be to environmental reform and naively though they could still win them over with ‘insider grand bargaining’.

Obama is unlikely to make climate change an major issue, despite campaigners calling for him to do so

(Image source - CBS)

Skocpol also states that climate change will not be a major issue for Obama in his second term as President, which will come as a blow to campaigners who have appealed for Obama to take action following several high profile events such as Superstorm Sandy that they believe were results of global warming. "Whatever environmentalists may hope, the Obama White House and congressional Democrats are unlikely to make global warming a top issue in 2013 or 2014," she writes.

Skocpol writes that these high profile events are not enough in themselves to get the issue of climate change on the national agenda, and believes that 'fresh strategies will be needed, based on new understandings of political obstacles and opportunities'.

Linking offshore wind farms to grid will cost £17bn

Fears that development costs could lead to higher prices for consumers

Plans to link offshore wind farms to the grid may result in higher electricity prices for consumers, it has been warned by a committee of MPs.

The method of bringing power from offshore wind farms, and onshore ones, to land is very complex and has been a major obstacle in the development and expansion of the wind energy industry, as a heavy-duty transmission infrastructure has to be developed, which has left many wind farms waiting for long periods to be connected to the grid.

Currently, a licensing system is in place which allows transmission lines to be constructed by the National Grid and other developers, who are then given a guaranteed income for 20 years; a total cost of £17bn. However, companies can only be fined 10% of their income if they fail to meet obligations, which Margaret Hodge, the chair of the public accounts committee, fears will lead to higher prices for consumers. She said, ‘Not only is it unlikely that this licensing system for bringing electricity from offshore wind farms on to the national grid will deliver any savings for consumers, it could well lead to higher prices. Indeed the terms of the licences appear to have been designed almost entirely to attract investors at the expense of securing a good deal for consumers’.

Offshore wind farms seem to be a good source of energy, but getting to use this energy is costly

(Image source - The Guardian)

Ofgem, the energy regulator, responded to the MPs report by highlighting the fact that it was only able to cover the first four tenders for licences, and added that the competition for these licences had saved customers about £290m. They said: ‘Our objective is to ensure this necessary investment is delivered at a fair price. As with any new market, there are lessons from early transactions. The initial tenders were conducted under interim arrangements. "It has always been Ofgem's intent to refine the tender process to deliver greater efficiencies and further benefits to consumers’.

As has been said before, new forms of energy production will, in the short term, lead to higher bills to cover the costs of implementing these new initiatives, though it is expected that these renewable forms of energy production will lead to cheaper bills in the future. But what do you think? Are you willing to pay more now for cheaper bills later? Let us know your views in the comments below.

Are politicians really that out of touch with the public?

MPs calling for higher wages despite millions struggling with low pay and rising energy bills

Earlier this week, the results of a survey of 100 MPs were released, showing that 69% thought that their annual wage of £65,738 made them ‘under-paid’, with the majority of them suggesting that their wage should be at least £96,740.

Considering the expenses scandals of recent years, and the fact that millions of people are struggling to afford things like food, housing, energy bills and general living costs, the news that MPs think they are hard done by is just astonishing. It’s not just because of things like their second homes, their expenses and questions about how much they actually do (apart from major events, how often is Parliament completely full?), but because of the simple fact that so many ordinary, hard-working people are having to face higher living costs without any wage increases and are being told by these very MPs that they’ll have to just put up with it because of the UK’s economic situation.

Despite millions of people struggling with living costs, MPs also think they have it rough

These opinions aren’t just held by one party however. 47% of Conservative MPs and 39% of Labour MPs felt they were unpaid. Only 9% of Lib Dems held this view, but they thought that the ideal wage for a politician was around £78,000. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, Britain’s largest public sector trade union, said ‘The idea MPs believe they deserve a 32 per cent increase is living in cloud cuckoo land’.  Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, agreed, saying, ‘Hiking politicians’ wages at a time of pay freezes, benefit caps and necessary spending cuts would be completely unpalatable to taxpayers.

Some MPs have tried to defend their responses, as one wrote in the anonymous comments of the survey that people have ‘no idea’ of ‘the pressure, breadth of knowledge and social skills that are required to do the job’.  If MPs feel they are unpaid, how do they think they rest of the country feels? Didn’t they think about the reaction of the public to their survey responses? Do MPs seriously believe a family struggling to make ends meet, who are have to face turning off their heating to afford to eat, or a graduate who can’t get a job despite having a first-class degree, would think ‘You’re right, £65,000 isn’t anywhere near enough for a politician’?

A lot of MPs seriously seem to have no idea what everyday life is like for a lot of people in Britain, and the results of this survey just show how out of touch they are with the British public by not seeing the irony of telling people to accept pay freezes, lower wages and higher energy bills whilst demanding higher pay for themselves. 

2012 hottest year in American history

Record temperatures are 'a big deal' say NCDC

The United States of America had its hottest year since records began in 2012, with the average temperature being a full degree higher than it was in 1998.

A report released by the National Climatic Data Center shows that the average annual temperature in the country, which this year was hit with heat waves, drought and storms such as Superstorm Sandy, was 55.3F (13C), was 3.2 degrees higher than the 20th century average. The findings of the report should be considered 'a big deal’ according to NCDC scientists, as temperature changes are usually seen as fractions of degrees, but the 2012 is a full degree higher than the previous record of 1998. Nineteen states broke existing temperature records in 2012 and every state had an ‘above normal’ average temperature. The NCDC warned that these figures could lead to a change in what will be considered normal weather conditions in the US in the future.

The majority of states recorded temperatures 'much above normal' in 2012

(Image source - The Guardian)

Climate change campaigners have urged President Obama to fully commit to cutting carbon emissions following the release of the report. "This won't be the last time we break records like this," said Angela Anderson, the director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The longer we delay reducing emissions, the more climate change we're going to lock in. The president has promised to make climate change a priority in his second term, but he needs to turn those words into action."

Shades of purple have been added to temperature charts to show high temperatures

(Image source - Daily Mail)

The NCDC will also release a report for global temperature next week, with the suggestion being that many countries will have experienced temperature rises during 2012. This week in Australia, as extreme wildfires rage through many areas, experts have had to add extra colours to temperature maps to highlight areas with temperatures above 54C.

Parents turn off heating to feed kids

New figures show how fuel poverty is rising

One in four families are having to turn off their heating to afford to feed their children due to rises in energy bills.

A survey conducted by the Energy Bill Revolution campaign has revealed the startling figure, along with others that highlight just how much fuel poverty in the UK is rising. According to the results, 45% of adults are using blankets and extra layers to keep warm, and nearly half of parents are turning the heating off whilst their children are out. Another shocking figure shows that a fifth of parents claim their children have been getting ill more regularly due to living in a colder house.

The cost of heating is starting to get too much for many families

(Image source - Metro)

The survey was aimed at 1000 members of the Netmums website, with 88% of them stating they more concerned with energy bills now than they were last year. Sally Russell, the founder of Netmums, said 'With almost nine in 10 families now rationing energy use due to spiralling prices, this signals a new winter of discontent for British families.'

Fuel poverty is an issue that has started to affect more and more people and is something Home Reheat has regularly discussed, with recent articles looking at how nearly 300,000 homes will be dragged into fuel poverty this winter and how elderly people will be hit the worst. 

Watch your energy usage this Christmas

Three tips on saving on your bills over the festive period

That time of year has come around again. Christmas is just a few days away and will be a time for everyone to forget the troubles of the past year and just enjoy the day with their families. But by indulging at Christmas, many people forget to budget and spend loads of presents, food and also energy bills, leaving them going into January with less money than they were expecting.

So here are a few tips on how to make sure you don’t go overboard with your energy usage this festive season –



1. Go easy with the Christmas lights

Do you really need to light your house up like an airport runway?

(Image source - Telegraph)

Decorations are one of the best parts of Christmas. The day you go into the attic, bring everything down and put up the tree is the day Christmas really begins. Families, especially ones with young children, put up all the decorations they can fit in, and on, their house. But although the mass of lights does look pretty when you look at them, it can cost a bomb in electricity bills when January comes around, especially if you’ve had them up since late November, so think about how many lights you really need up. Also, a lot of people will keep their lights on constantly throughout the day and night. Do you really need your lights on through the night? Your neighbours aren’t going to notice them because they’ll be in bed as well. Turn them off when you aren’t there/awake to enjoy them and save yourself money on your electric bill!



2. Turn off the TV

You've probably seen all the stuff on TV before, so turn it off and just enjoy being with your family

(Image source - Telegraph)

A recent study found out that, on Christmas Day, families will watch on average 8 hours of television. Considering the day consists of opening presents (and building the presents for the kids), and having dinner, that’s a lot of TV. But how many people actually pay much attention to the TV when it’s on, especially when the kids are playing with their new toys and the adults are relaxing with a sherry or glass of wine? For most of the day, the TV is just background noise. Another study found out that you can save £100 a year just by adjusting the settings on your TV. So using that logic turning it off Christmas Day might help you save money, even just a little bit.



3. Wear those Christmas clothes

You got one as a gift, so you may as well it wear it

(Image source - BBC)

For a lot of people, Christmas means getting another year’s supply of socks and jumpers. But how many people wear those new clothes on the actual day? Most people just smile at Grandma and put them to the side. But by simply wearing that jumper and those socks you can stay warm for the day, meaning you can turn down the heating, which means saving money on the energy bill.

These ideas aren’t going to save you hundreds of pounds, but they will help in their own way and will get you thinking about how you can save money on your energy bills.