Bglobal Share Discussion Threads

[mg78] 02/2/2010 12:38

Mattjos - interesting - may I ask what was their reaction to your suggestion?

[mattjos] 01/2/2010 15:49

melody .. the crazy thing is EON are presisng me for the last 12 months to replace the meter as it is beyond serviceable life, supposedly. When asked if they would be rpelacing with a smart meter, they said no. At which point i suggested they come back to me when they are ready to install a smart meter & spare a second swap out a year or so down the line. Bonkers really

[substp] 01/2/2010 11:20

Must keep in mind that the bad weather of late will put their installation stats behind . Maybe new staff etc will give it a boost .

[substp] 01/2/2010 11:14

Credit Crunch ???? Plenty of jobs going at BGlobal....... :-)

[melody9999] 26/1/2010 21:18

Mattjos - I now await a refund cheque for £160. The monthly bill is down from £93 to £64 ! As least this should be in my favour now so they will be chasing me for payment. Would all be unnecessary with smart meters.

[mattjos] 23/1/2010 01:15

melody ... they only have to read my bill once every 2 years now, according to latest correspondence this week.... EON in Derbyshire .... reality they have read it twice in 10 years. I've done all the others.
Still watching here at the mo & CYAN

[melody9999] 21/1/2010 22:33

thanks mg - may be too early stage for me but I'll watch.

[mg78] 19/1/2010 08:18

melody9999 - re. advantages of smart meters for billing purposes, see the short bbc video links on post 3730 on the CYAN thread - (CYAN are involved in microcontrollers - specifically ones that can be applied to smart devices, including smart meters). Company has hinted that it is awaiting significant orders, but is still speculative, so ADYOR.

[melody9999] 18/1/2010 21:58

Queried my electricity bill the other day. Was told that the estimate was because my meter had not been read for 6 months! Apparently legally electicity companies only have to read meters 1 X a year now. They haven't a clue how much has been used by me - they just estimate and bill based on previous usage.

Samrt meters have to be the way forward for businesses and consumers alike.

[substp] 14/1/2010 09:31

What a load of b*ll*cks ! Big brother is already here . Break ins based on my meter ........ :-))))

smellyfinger

[itchycrack] 14/1/2010 09:24

From The Times
January 14, 2010
Security fears threaten smart meter plan
Angela Jameson, Industrial Correspondent

The £8.1 billion rollout of smart meters in Britain could be knocked off course unless the Government and Ofgem, the energy regulator, act urgently to convince the public that the information provided by the meters will be held securely.

Fears that data on energy consumption could be misused by criminals, police or insurance companies have curtailed the compulsory introduction of the meters in the Netherlands, according to a report by Datamonitor, the market analyst.

Dutch consumer and privacy organisations were concerned that information relayed as frequently as every 15 minutes could allow employees of utility companies to see when properties were empty or when householders had bought expensive new gadgets.

Smart meters, which are due to be rolled out to the UK's 26 million households by 2020, are fitted with information and communications technology so that they can send data and receive instructions. The intention is that they will transform the energy industry - enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy - but utilities have been frustrated at the delay to agreeing a common model and standards for use.

Now Datamonitor is warning that the introduction of smart metering will rival the creation of the internet as a telecommunications project and will stretch utility industry practices and processes to breaking point.

Alex Desbarres, senior renewables analyst at Datamonitor and co-author of the report, said: "The Government and the regulator have to decide what they want the programme to achieve and then they have to quickly establish a dialogue with consumer groups and the general public.

"The backlash against smart meters could be aggressive if the message that they will reduce energy consumption and help lower carbon emissions is not made clear. The Government also has to address these privacy and security issues. Many people do not like the idea of utility companies having a permanent window on their private life.

"What is the industry going to do with all this data? At the moment, they do not have the processes to manage it - and without significant new systems the data itself is worthless."

A new communications centre will be created to receive and manage the data from the meters to make it easier for customers to switch suppliers.

According to Datamonitor's report, the present trials of smart meters, which are being conducted with four of the leading suppliers, are throwing up potential problems, including issues about access to properties and the need for rewiring and repiping. Datamonitor says that all suppliers have had difficulty obtaining and installing the necessary equipment for trials, illustrating the relative immaturity of the technologies.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said that the privacy and security issues were being addressed: "Data protection and system security are crucial issues for the success of the rollout and operation of the smart metering and will be a vital part of the implementation work we will be doing. We will take a rigorous and systematic approach to assessing and managing these issues."

A spokesman for Ofgem said: "Ofgem's main concern is that the interests of consumers are protected when smart meters are introduced. Data protection and system security are crucial issues for consumers and we will take a rigorous and systematic approach to assessing and managing these issues. This will include stringent rules and safeguards."

Energy UK, which represents the six main gas and electricity suppliers, said: "The industry has been working flat out to develop the smart metering programme since 2006 and continues to take on board lessons from other programmes around the world."

The European Union said in 2006 that smart meters should be made mandatory, but voters in the Netherlands have vigorously opposed a compulsory rollout and succeeded in persuading politicians to vote against it.

Smart meters are expected to lead to the introduction of more variable price tariffs, based on time of day. It should be possible to charge consumers more at peak hours, which in turn would encourage many people to use electricity in periods of lower demand.

Flicking the switch

• The Department of Energy and Climate Change wants to see 47 million meters in 26 million properties by 2020

• Trials suggest that the £8.1 billion scheme may help people to save £28 a year

• Smart meters have a visual display allowing customers to see exactly how much electricity and gas they are using and relay the data to energy suppliers automatically

• Energy suppliers will be responsible for the roll-out of the meters at a cost of about £340 per household.

• UK homes add £33 a year to bills by leaving appliances on standby

[melody9999] 12/1/2010 13:15

looking very strong in a weak overall market today

[maddox] 11/1/2010 23:02

I like the new graphs IC are adding to the text - besides being microscopic, they don't have a key so you have to guess which line is which.

[extrap] 11/1/2010 16:27

ridicule - yes, you're right - BGBL is one of the tips of 2010. It looks as if the IC put the wrong heading on the BGBL page.

[ridicule] 11/1/2010 10:37

Extrap. You need to stop scan reading or you might make a wrong investment decision. Look on page 20 - Tips of The Year Contents. Bglobal is the second share listed! I do accept though that the top of page 22 carries the Company tips banner. This shouldn't mislead if the whole article is read.

[extrap] 11/1/2010 10:28

Not sure it's that important but the tips of the year had 'TIPS OF THE YEAR 2010' printed at the top of each page length tip. The BGlobal tip, also a full page, was in the separate section COMPANIES TIPS, which is a normal weekly feature.

[ridicule] 11/1/2010 10:14

Oh yes it was extrap! It was the second share of the year after BG on page 22. The final paragraph read:

"With break-even expected this year, Bglobal is forecast to turn profitable in 2010-2011, leaving its shares rated at eight times 2010-2011 forecast earnings. Buy!"

[extrap] 11/1/2010 09:06

BGBL was one of the companies tipped in last week's IC (it has tipped it several times over the last year) - but it wasn't one of its 2010 tips of the year.

[ridicule] 11/1/2010 08:48

MADDOX The best thing in the IC full page coverage tipping BGBL as one of their shares of the year was the broker forecast for a PE of 8 in 2010/2011. The current price, despite recent rises is,therefore,cheap.

[melody9999] 10/1/2010 23:36

Maddox - in that case we really are doing well !!

[maddox] 08/1/2010 11:26

Looks like Investors Chronicle have selected BGBL as one of their tips of the year!

[melody9999] 08/1/2010 08:13

could be seeing a new high very shortly - in which case we would have a nice level of support in the low 50s.

[melody9999] 05/1/2010 15:16

looks like a shake unless someone can post some other news which might have affected the sell price. mm's trying to mug punters into selling below 50p. DOW looks like it is recovering frome early nerves so could be a chance to bag a few.

[substp] 05/1/2010 14:46

or are the MMs just using this to "make a crust" ?

[substp] 05/1/2010 14:40

Low volume ......is this a shake ?....... order to fill ?