Disconnector Onlinetag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector/1052008-09-05T14:21:01ZNews and views from the world of utilitiesMovable Type 4.1-enWhat we did on our holidays Part 3tag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.379822008-09-05T09:56:34Z2008-09-05T14:21:01Z Not one for the children or slightly sqeamish, Part 3 of our series reveals Utility Week's political and environment...Steve Hobson
Not one for the children or slightly sqeamish, Part 3 of our series reveals Utility Week's political and environment editor Roger Milne has begun a slightly clandestine new career as an extreme clown along with a group of others from Club Brenda, a Manchester-based group of performance artists, DJs and musicians. Roger's second son Alexis is Honky the Clown, the driving force behind this rather frightening "family" of performers. Roger is pictured on the right with his son just before the clowns performed for the first time en famille at a festival in Dublin last month. This piece of scary nonsense was called: Extreme Clown Showdown. Roger, by the way, is known as Uncle Dmitri, a Russian member of the clan. Confused ? Roger is and hasn't given up the day job quite yet! ]]>
What we did on our holidays Part 2tag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.379802008-09-05T09:54:48Z2008-09-05T10:15:27Z In Part 2 of an occasional series on what we did on our holidays, here is Utility Week editor...Steve Hobson
In Part 2 of an occasional series on what we did on our holidays, here is Utility Week editor at large Steve Hobson enjoying his summer break in not-so-sunny Dorset and Devon. A day dinghy sailing in Poole harbour was followed by a visit to a rally of Mini enthusiasts in picturesque Ilfracombe. Although Steve does indeed drive a Mini, we will leave it to your imagination if it really is him inside the Batman outfit (the great man is assured it certainly isn't him wearing the Poison Ivy costume).]]>
What we did on our holidaystag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.379782008-09-04T09:42:48Z2008-09-05T09:45:48Z Part One of an occasional series - what Utility Week staffers do in their spare time. Pictured in the...Steve Hobson
Part One of an occasional series - what Utility Week staffers do in their spare time.
Pictured in the middle of this delightful group of official guides to Jane Austen land is none other than our very own reporter Annabel Andrews. See her in action at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath on September 19 to 28.]]>
The naked truthtag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.377812008-09-02T14:40:38Z2008-09-03T14:13:15Z A group of naked Climate Camp residents turned up at the headquarters of the Department for Business, Enterprise and...Paul Newton
A group of naked Climate Camp residents turned up at the headquarters of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr) and glued themselves to the office front in Victoria Street, London SW1. The protesters were "revealing" their opposition to plans for more coal-fired generation.]]>
Beach break: tag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.377802008-09-02T14:39:23Z2008-09-02T14:40:15Z Seaside mascot the Jolly Fisherman and Anglian Water environmental ambassador Captain Splosh have been spotted eating fish 'n' chips...Paul Newton
Seaside mascot the Jolly Fisherman and Anglian Water environmental ambassador Captain Splosh have been spotted eating fish 'n' chips while taking a mini-break at Skegness. But the dynamic duo will continue to promote a recycling scheme aimed at protecting the town's sewers and the environment. They planned to eat out each day and carry on persuading restaurants, takeaways, pubs and hotels to sign up to a free collection scheme for the recycling of used fats, oils and grease for conversion into biodiesel. They know it makes sense...]]>
Regina's here for the long haultag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.377792008-09-02T14:37:51Z2008-09-02T14:38:54ZNow what do you make of this? Disconnector's extensive network of informants in the Irish Republic has reported that Regina...Paul Newton
Now what do you make of this? Disconnector's extensive network of informants in the Irish Republic has reported that Regina Finn, chief executive of Ofwat, recently put her Dublin house up for sale.
It's a move that suggests the regulator is happy to carry on jousting with English and Welsh water companies, not to mention sceptical chairmen of parliamentary select committees.
However, one Dublin informant has reported that the "For Sale" sign has come down.
Does this mean that Regina is having second thoughts about life on this side of the Irish Sea? Or is this simply evidence that the credit crunch is having an adverse impact on the Irish housing
market?
Disconnector thinks we should be told.
Help with your bill...tag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.377772008-09-02T14:36:42Z2008-09-02T14:37:37ZThe great man is not sure whether to laugh or cry at the news that a Masonic lodge in Edinburgh...Paul Newton
The great man is not sure whether to laugh or cry at the news that a Masonic lodge in Edinburgh has been hit with a £100,000 electricity bill. According to energy giant British Gas, the premises in Shrub Lane have two meters which have never been billed.
The supplier offered to reduce the bill by £10,000 if the lodge paid up smartly, apparently. Another British Gas bod suggested easy payment terms so that the arrears could be paid off over a number of months.
The offer did not impress lodge secretary James McLean. "How on earth you get easy payment terms for £100,000 I do not know," he said.
It seems gone are the days when such misunderstandings could be resolved with a special handshake between chaps with rolled-up trouser legs.
Buzz wordstag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.377762008-09-02T14:35:38Z2008-09-02T14:36:33ZDisconnector was also much taken with the news (uncovered by World Nuclear News) that the Sellafield site in Cumbria suffered...Paul Newton
Disconnector was also much taken with the news (uncovered by World Nuclear News) that the Sellafield site in Cumbria suffered a mini-invasion recently...
A swarm of some 40,000 bees descended on the waste encapsulation plant. The main entrance near where the bees had gathered was immediately closed and pest control specialists summonsed to neutralise the threat.
However, the insects were saved from certain doom by the quick thinking of one Tony Calvin, manufacturing manager at the neighbouring Magnox encapsulation plant.
Calvin has been a keen bee-keeper for the past ten years. He raced home to fetch his specialist equipment before tempting the swarm to a new hive and moving them to a less sensitive spot.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man, eh?
Blue is the new blacktag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.377752008-09-02T14:34:14Z2008-09-02T14:35:29ZDear reader, here is an important item of nuclear news which may have slipped under your radar. The boys and...Paul Newton
Dear reader, here is an important item of nuclear news which may have slipped under your radar. The boys and girls in blue who guard the country's civilian atomic facilities have a new-style uniform.
According to a press statement issued by the government news service (all right, we're talking propaganda here), the new kit is "designed to keep officers cool in summer and warm in winter, thanks to its Polyester Wicking material". This may or may not be a reference to the
erstwhile energy minister. Whatever.
Apparently the new look has gone down well with those patrolling the perimeter fence. Officers have "welcomed the tops and trousers as being far more comfortable and practical, while the trousers have more pockets which will ease the carrying of necessary equipment".
The change "is part of the Constabulary's drive to uplift its officers' capability and capacity to deliver the Civil Nuclear Constabulary's mission statement".
The great man is positively glowing after reading this guff.
Hitting the fantag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.364902008-08-13T07:47:48Z2008-08-13T11:41:12ZAs if rain, storms and the depredations of metal thieves were not enough to contend with, power line engineers in...Janet Wood
As if rain, storms and the depredations of metal thieves were not enough to contend with, power line engineers in Switzerland found one line downed by an artwork called "Complex Shit".
The metre-high inflatable artwork at the Paul Klee museum, in the shape of a huge dog turd, broke free of its moorings in high winds. When an emergency device that should have deflated the, ahem, sculpture in bad weather failed to operate, it was blown across the museum site, damaging the powerline and breaking windows at a local childrens home.
One for DNOs' training manuals?
It's the big one:tag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.359972008-08-08T17:45:57Z2008-08-13T15:42:59ZYorkshire Water has decided to go big - literally and metaphoricallyPaul Newton]]>
Yorkshire Water has decided to go big - literally and metaphorically - with its water conservation campaign, which runs until the end of August. The utility points out that the toilet accounts for one- third of all water use in the home, which is why it is the focus, nay the face, of the initiative. Will it be flushed with success? Too early to say, but judging by the interest of these kids there's every reason to believe so. The company worked with art and design colleges across its patch to get artwork for the giant 6ft high toilets.
Who needs friends in high places?tag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.359952008-08-08T17:39:31Z2008-08-13T15:44:26ZMaybe nuclear giant EDF wishes Clare Spottiswoode, one-time energy regulator, was still on the board of British EnergyPaul Newton
Maybe nuclear giant EDF wishes Clare Spottiswoode, one-time energy regulator, was still on the board of British Energy. Until last year she was deputy chair of the UK's biggest generator. Currently she is in the headlines as insurance company Aviva's policyholder advocate.
She recently decided that Norwich Union policyholders, subsumed into Aviva these days, should get one-off cash payments of £1 billion, an average of £1,000 each.
Such largesse. No doubt EDF boss Pierre Gadonneix would have liked the British Energy board to have been similarly accommodating when making its decision on the French bid.
Ooh la la.
France loses its bottletag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.359942008-08-08T17:38:03Z2008-08-13T15:45:11ZThe great man notes that even in the spiritual home of bottled water, tap water is making a comeback. Paul Newton
The great man notes that even in the spiritual home of bottled water, tap water is making a comeback.
Yup, in la belle France, supermarket sales of the big brands of bottled water (that is, Evian, Volvic and Vittel) are down and more than two-thirds of French people now say they regularly drink tap water compared with less than 60 per cent five years ago.
Merde or formidable, depending on if you make the bottled stuff or are just a consumer.
Top of the tapstag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.359932008-08-08T17:36:36Z2008-08-13T15:48:53ZAccording to a special tasting in London by a panel of chefs and wine stewards, what comes out of taps in Severn Trent's fiefdom tastes the bestPaul Newton
Now for top of the taps. Well, according to a special tasting in London by a panel of chefs and wine stewards, what comes out of taps in Severn Trent's fiefdom tastes the best, ahead of Thames Water's basic product.
The tasting, organised at a Chelsea restaurant to launch environmental charity Green Thing's Drink Tap campaign, saw seven tap waters come in ahead of a bottled water. Severn Trent topped the tasting, followed by Anglian Water, Thames, Welsh Water, Southern Water, Scottish Water and South West Water. Then came the bottled variety.
Michelin-star chef Tom Aitkens described the local tap water as having "a coastal smell". Another panellist, Thomasina Miers of Wahaca in Covent Garden, reckoned Thames's tap water "had a slight floral note in its scent".
Miers, winner of the BBC's Masterchef title in 2005, is quoted as saying: "It's absurd to only drink bottled water. I drink two bottles of water a day and if I was drinking bottled water it might be a more expensive habit than smoking."
Quite.
What not to saytag:www.utilityweek.co.uk,2008:/blogs/disconnector//105.359922008-08-08T17:35:25Z2008-08-13T15:49:21ZThe great man chuckled about some of the utility companies' greatest consumer gaffes, recounted recently by the Guardian's erstwhile consumer champion Anna Timms. Paul Newton
The great man chuckled about some of the utility companies' greatest consumer gaffes, recounted recently by the Guardian's erstwhile consumer champion Anna Timms.
Energy supplier TXU once told an overcharged customer: "Our computers don't automatically send refunds." Npower apparently told a customer owed £900 that the reason she hadn't been paid was "because she was owed so much".
As for technical cock-ups, the following was a hard act to follow. Engineers from Seeboard carried out routine maintenance on Catherine Reay's house and reconnected the supply with two live wires and no neutral. She cottoned on when she flicked the light switch and her appliances began bursting into flames. Reay said the energy supplier told her she should be grateful the house was earthed the way it was. "Otherwise my taps and light switches could have gone live."
Phew.
Not one for the children or slightly sqeamish, Part 3 of our series reveals Utility Week's political and environment editor Roger Milne has begun a slightly clandestine new career as an extreme clown along with a group of others from Club Brenda, a Manchester-based group of performance artists, DJs and musicians. Roger's second son Alexis is Honky the Clown, the driving force behind this rather frightening "family" of performers. Roger is pictured on the right with his son just before the clowns performed for the first time en famille at a festival in Dublin last month. This piece of scary nonsense was called: Extreme Clown Showdown. Roger, by the way, is known as Uncle Dmitri, a Russian member of the clan. Confused ? Roger is and hasn't given up the day job quite yet! ]]>
Part One of an occasional series - what Utility Week staffers do in their spare time.
Pictured in the middle of this delightful group of official guides to Jane Austen land is none other than our very own reporter Annabel Andrews. See her in action at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath on September 19 to 28.]]>
A group of naked Climate Camp residents turned up at the headquarters of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr) and glued themselves to the office front in Victoria Street, London SW1. The protesters were "revealing" their opposition to plans for more coal-fired generation.]]>
Seaside mascot the Jolly Fisherman and Anglian Water environmental ambassador Captain Splosh have been spotted eating fish 'n' chips while taking a mini-break at Skegness. But the dynamic duo will continue to promote a recycling scheme aimed at protecting the town's sewers and the environment. They planned to eat out each day and carry on persuading restaurants, takeaways, pubs and hotels to sign up to a free collection scheme for the recycling of used fats, oils and grease for conversion into biodiesel. They know it makes sense...]]>
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Yorkshire Water has decided to go big - literally and metaphorically - with its water conservation campaign, which runs until the end of August. The utility points out that the toilet accounts for one- third of all water use in the home, which is why it is the focus, nay the face, of the initiative. Will it be flushed with success? Too early to say, but judging by the interest of these kids there's every reason to believe so. The company worked with art and design colleges across its patch to get artwork for the giant 6ft high toilets.