Property News

FANCY CHRISTMAS IN LONDON? FAMILY HOME TO LET

If you’re thinking of spending Christmas in London why not think of a comfortable family home rather than staying in a hotel.

There’s a spacious family home in tranquil, residential Wandsworth available.

Consisting of three bedrooms (two double, one twin), three bathrooms (including one sumptuous en-suite), the property has a very comfortable ground floor reception/sitting room and large, eat-in kitchen. There’s also a well kept private garden.

Wandsworth is well situated for access to Chelsea, and via the overland train to Victoria in 20 minutes and from there to the West End and Knightsbridge in no time at all

There are plenty of local amenities and Wandsworth Common nearby.

* Sleeps: 6

* From £1,200 per wk

* Ref: G61

* Contact: Ivy Lettings on +44 (0)20 7603 4417 or go on-line at: http://www.ivylettings.com

Why not rent out your driveway?

With the economy in poor shape and many people finding money in severely short supply, a new company, Park Let, helps homeowners to rent out their driveway or garage to earn extra income and motorists benefit because they pay substantially

Make your house earn money by renting out your driveway

less than at more commercial car parks.

Park Let, has seen a massive increase in business during the recession as people look to maximise their income and cut costs. The process is extremely straightforward:

The property owner contacts Park Let with the details of their driveway, parking space or allocated parking bay. In fact the ‘property owner’ can be anything from a residential homeowner with a single driveway, to tenants who are able to sublet, owners and managing agents of apartment blocks, companies with surplus spaces and individuals or organisations with empty garages or lockups.

Park Let adds the details on to its site and contacts prospective tenants if the space is in an area with a waiting list. Interested parties then get in contact with Park Let to rent out a space. The motorist is able to go and view the parking space if they want to.

Your parking could be a lot cheaper for a motorist - and make money for you at the same time

A contract is drawn up, Park Let collects any deposits required for keys, fobs or security cards and the first month’s rent. A direct debit is also set up to collect subsequent payments. Park Let also takes a 15% commission for the marketing and administration time. The tenant is free to use the space 24 hours a day for either a five or seven day week, depending on the agreement.

Benefits

Landlords benefit from the extra income and in some cases people feel more secure having a car parked outside their house all day. Motorists benefit as they have a guaranteed space everyday, their car is less likely to get damaged and they will have saved themselves some money.

The UK league table lists the most lucrative areas in which to rent out a space. (London comes under a separate heading – see below).

2009 UK league table
Liverpool			£123 per month
Nottingham			£115 per month
Manchester			£109 per month
Brighton			£108 per month
Bristol			£100 per month
Leeds			£98 per month
Oxford			£98 per month
Birmingham			£94 per month
Edinburgh			£93 per month
Cambridge			£71 per month
2009 London League Table
Sloane Ave, SW3			£538 per month
Mayfair, W1K			£348 per month
Leicester Sq, WC2			£298 per month
High Holborn, WC1			£291 per month
Liverpool St, EC1			£223 per month
Cardinal Place, SW1			£222 per month
Old Street, EC1			£205 per month
Canon St, EC4			£205 per month
Pimlico, SW1V			£202 per month
Fulham, SW6			£194 per month

Park Let is the largest parking space letting agent in the UK and has already arranged over 10,000 contracts and currently has 21,000 spaces available to let. Park Let operates in the monthly or season ticket market as it believes landlords prefer the longevity of these contracts and feel more comfortable with the same tenant coming and going each day.

Park Let calculates the rental price of a parking space in much the same way as a residential estate agent agrees the rental price of a property with a landlord. There is usually a maximum value for a space in a particular area or postcode and other factors can influence the price too, such as proximity to facilities or congestion zones.

Security is another important factor: spaces or bays with key-pad entry, electronic gates or even CCTV can demand a premium. Areas near busy town and city centres tend to be the most lucrative as do areas near busy railway stations, hospitals, schools and leisure attractions.

Park Let was the first company to introduce a free ‘parking space price guide tool’ earlier this year too. Go to http://www.parklet.co.uk/parking-rental-price-guide.aspx, type in your postcode and see how much your own drive would be worth.

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Stay in Southwold over Christmas

Southwold sits on the edge of East Anglia. Facing out into the North Sea, this small town has attracted generation after generation of visitors.They come as children, grow up, have children of their own, introduce them to the pleasures of crabbing, sandcastles and as they in their turn, reach adulthood, the local beer. Finally many of those same people choose to retire to the town.

The weather can be changeable. One of the pleasures of Southwold is that you’ll find real old-fashioned seasons – really cold winters where you’ll need several layers of clothing, mild spring days with the promise of better things to come, baking hot summers with blissful long days on the beach and with the coming of September, there’ll be misty mornings where you’ll glad to stay indoors or lunch in a pub.

There can be only be a handful of places in the UK that provoke, almost without exception, the reaction: “Oh what a wonderful place, so charming, so… special.” Southwold is one such place. And it’s not just the rather more senior generation that responds like that. The town attracts families of all ages.

It’s been a family favourite for several decades, and as children grow up and have kids of their own, so another generation returns to the beaches, the annual crabbing competitions, the ferry across the river, Adnams ales and some of the friendliest people you’ll meet anywhere. In the summer, parking can become a distinct problem and the sensible visitor leaves his or her car on the outskirts or near the Common where there’s plenty of space. At the moment, residents only have to struggle with parking during the summer months and then only in the streets around the High Street.

The High Street

These days, the shops range from smart delis to uber chic women’s boutiques, but there are plenty of old friends such as the Amber Shop, Denny of Southwold and Bookthrift that blend in with the quiet nostalgia of the Market Square.

Property prices

In earlier real estate downturns, property prices in the town stayed fairly level, dropping only slightly and once again, this seems to be true. Southwold is definitely a desirable niche for homebuyers and while some homes get stuck in the estate agents’ windows for a while, on the whole there’s quite a decent turnover of houses and flats.

A 4-bedroom terraced house at the pier end of town sold recently for £500,000 while a 2-bedroom first floor flat overlooking South Green is on the market for a guide price of £410,000. Renting and buying beach huts is certainly a costly affair with prices for one of the larger huts starting anywhere in the region of £40-50,000.

A family home

Southwold seems to have a micro-climate. Drive round Ipswich on the A14 on a horrible day with a gale blowing, the rain lashing down, the windscreen wipers fighting all the way. Then take the A12 north east towards Lowestoft and you’ll notice a definite brightening of the sky.

It’s about 30 miles from Ipswich to Southwold and by the time you go over the level crossing at Darsham the rain will probably have ceased and the wind eased off. Turn right onto the B1126 and head towards Reydon and then Southwold and very often the sky will have cleared and the lighthouse will have appeared in the distance. In the winter, it does snow occasionally and it can certainly be cold. But a glass of mulled wine and the turning of the Southwold Christmas lights in early December is a great way to start the holiday season.

Fancy Christmas in the heart of Southwold?

If you hurry you could still book ‘The Drift’ (sleeps 8). Spacious, comfortable with open fires, wood burning stove (plus CH), piano and a Xmas tree included! Call Acanthus on 01502 724033

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

News updates

Swiss house prices increase as permit rules are set to change

House prices in Switzerland have increased this year by more than 4%, according to figures from the Swiss National Bank.
Single-family homes increased by 4.5% in the year from January 2009, and resale rental apartments rose 4.3%.

A 3-bedroom duplex apartment in Ovronnaz, Canton Valais, Switzerland

Andrew Hawkins, head of international at Chesterton Humberts, believes these increases stem from: “A controlled market where ownership is highly regulated and a corresponding level of supply and demand. Switzerland didn’t have a price boom, unlike markets such as the UK or Spain.
“The continued interest from non-resident foreigners has kept house prices rising at a manageable amount. Also, as the economic crisis hit, locals transferred overseas investments into the more stable local property market, driving prices up at a steady level.”

Foreign property laws
While Switzerland has traditionally been difficult to buy into because of the federal government’s system for issuing permits, from 2010 each canton will have the power to set its own foreign property laws.
“Giving cantons the responsibility for making their own property acquisition rules is a positive for foreign buyers,” says Andrew. “We expect faster transfer times for property titles, making property ownership easier and therefore more desirable, so we expect that prices will continue to steadily increase.”

Fully furnished chalet, Vercorin, Canton Valais, Switzerland

Chesterton Humberts sells a range of property in Switzerland, including:

•    A three-bedroom chalet designed in traditional Swiss style, with modern interiors. This chalet is located in one of the highest spots in Vercorin and offers unparalleled views over the Rhone Valley from Sierre to Sion. The chalet has two terraces, including one with Jacuzzi. Price: CHF 2,000,000 (approx. UK£ 1,118,637).

For more information, call: Chesterton Humberts – Tel: 020 3040 8210 or on-line at: http://www.chestertonhumberts.com

Post Office launches new international bank to bank money transfers

Transferring money between UK and overseas bank accounts is set to become significantly easier following the launch of the new Post Office® Overseas Property Money Transfer service.

The new service offers customers peace of mind by enabling them to fix at a favourable rate of exchange for up to a year, giving valuable protection against volatile currency fluctuations. And because the Post Office offers this service online, people can transfer money from the comfort of their own home to wherever they need it to be in the world.

Anyone needing to transfer money to an overseas bank account can benefit from the service. It’s ideal for:
•    Repayments on a foreign mortgage
•    Deposits or costs associated with buying, selling or maintaining a property abroad and paying utility bills
•    Bringing money back to the UK after sale of an overseas property
•    One off payments such as a wedding venue or emigration
•    Regular payments – transfer pensions, salaries or even school fees, removing the hassle and expense of frequent individual transactions from a bank.

The Post Office Overseas Property Money Transfer service offers competitive exchange rates, with 0 per cent commission and no hidden charges, plus it will reimburse customers for any charges that the destination bank may impose, meaning that customers can expect to save hundreds of pounds a year*.

Buying in bulk

Sarah Munro, Post Office head of money transfers, said: “Until now, many users of international bank to bank money transfer services have found it to be an expensive business, with limited options for small transfers.  They have often been unable to capitalise on the great rates offered by currency specialists because they weren’t buying in bulk.  And they were also at the mercy of volatile currency markets, making it harder to get the most from their money.

“The Post Office Overseas Property Money Transfer service offers customers the ability to fix at a competitive exchange rate, giving them peace of mind for up to a year, which is a real advantage in current markets.  We calculate that with 0% commission and our competitive exchange rates we will be saving customers a serious amount of money if they’ve just sold their house or are paying a deposit on a new property.”

For anyone wanting to make a cash money transfer abroad, the Post Office still provides the MoneyGram service. This offers cash transfers to over 176,000 destinations worldwide from any one of 11,500 Post Office branches.

Anyone wanting to find out more about Post Office Overseas Property Money Transfer should go to http://www.postoffice.co.uk/moneytransfers or by calling 0800 180 4702. Transfers must be a minimum of £500 and are limited to £10,000 online. There’s no transaction limit for transfers made over the telephone. The Post Office Overseas Property Money Transfer service is provided by HiFX PLC.

Based on a monthly transfer of £700 over a year customers could save £528 by going to the Post Office:
High Street Bank
Monthly Transfer fee £30 = £360.00
Post Office
No charge

High Street Bank
Commission 1.5% = £126.00
Post Office
No commission

High Street Bank
Receiving charges up to 0.5% = £42.00
Post Office
No charge

High Street Bank
Total bank charges £44.00 = £528.00
Post Office
Free

Golf fanatics flock to Turkey

Turkey provides some of the newest and most exciting courses, many being championship level and most within easy reach of each other. Golfers have realised the tremendous benefit of 300 days of sunshine a year with the average temperature even in December, of 16 degrees centigrade.

Now the European Challenge tour will be played in Turkey in 2010 at the Carya Golf Club which was established in 2008 and in Belek the World Amateur Golf Championship is to be held in 2012.

Turkey was awarded “Best Golf Destination in Europe 2008” by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) putting Turkey ahead of other European golf hotspots including Spain and Scotland. “This is largely due to Belek, the home of championship golf in Turkey”, says Robert Nixon, executive director, Nirvana International. “This is a beautiful region enhanced with beautifully maintained, top quality golf courses, making it a golfer’s paradise”.

Ideal for renting

Taking Belek as a prime example of golf courses available, there’s the Tat Golf Club, The Gloria Golf Resort, The Robinson Club, Nobilis, Cornelia Nick Faldo course and Papillon Golf course which is a new Colin Montgomerie Golf Course. In addition there is Kaya Eagles Golf club and Lykia Links Golf and of course the National Golf Course.

NIRVANA golf 7 Gem Golf Villas

It’s worthwhile considering the possibility of owning a property there. You could buy as part of a syndicate or for personal use and of course, such a property in a prime location is ideal for renting when not in personal use.

Belek is an ideal spot for relaxation and is famed for its pine trees which fill the air with a glorious scent with plenty to do including yachting, windsurfing, scuba diving, walking, bird watching and exploring the area’s rich history. The mountains too are easily reached and there is even the opportunity to go skiing 120km away at Saklikent Ski Resort.  There are also some superb beaches dotted along this coastline.

Currently being offered is an exclusive development of brand new homes at Gem Golf Villas in Belek located in the heart of championship golf in Turkey and just 500 metres from the National Golf Club and close to the Sueno Golf Club.

Year round flights

There’s a choice of two different house types (Villa A and B) all immaculately presented and built to a high standard. Villa A has a slightly bigger floor area than Villa B. 14 of the villas are offered with a shared pool with seven of the homes having private pool and parking. The development is surrounded by attractive landscaped grounds. There is 24-hour security on site and Gem Golf Villas is close to Belek beach, mini market and shopping mall. Belek town is 2 km from the resort and offers many shops and restaurants. Antalya is 30 minutes drive. There is a shuttle bus service for transfer to golf courses, beach or Belek town centre. Antalya Airport, which provides all year round flights to and from the UK, is just 25 minutes drive away and transfers are provided.

Gem Golf Villas, Belek.

Prices

Detached villas with four bedrooms and two bathrooms (1 en-suite)

Type A – some with private pool start from £200,000

Type B – villas with shared pool start from £180,000

Contact Nirvana International on: 01189 744 950/955 or at www.nirvanainternational.com

Nirvana International is a member of AIPP and NAEA International incorporating FOPDAC.

Energy efficiency begins at home

Gordon Miller, editor of http://whatgreenhome.com/ looks at some of the eco homes that are available in the UK

The findings of a comprehensive survey by Halifax Estate Agents reveals that two out of five homes in England and Wales (44%) rate ‘average’ for energy efficiency, falling into B and D of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which grades the energy efficiency of a house.

New homes being built today, however, are at least a quarter more energy-efficient than existing older homes. At North Chase, Newhall in Harlow, Essex, the new mid-terraced houses have an average EPC rating of B, which only 1% of homes in England and Wales have attained. For all new house types at Newhall the EPC ratings exceed the average for all homes, as found by the Halifax Survey.

North Chase, Newhall in Harlow, Essex

The homes’ energy efficiency is one facet of a broader sustainable agenda being practised at Newhall, set in the Essex countryside several miles from Harlow town centre. The design and layout of every street at the latest phase, North Chase, has been carefully considered to maximise passive solar gain that enhances the homes’ natural light and provides super warm buildings.

Additionally, sustainable and renewable materials have been used wherever possible in the construction of the properties, including timber specifically chosen for its insulation qualities. Using modern methods of construction, the houses are constructed off-site and erected on-site. The practise saves time, money and lessens CO2 emissions. Prices at Newhall start from £185,000.

Old Apple Store, Stawell in Somerset

At the Old Apple Store, Stawell in Somerset, the new detached houses have an average EPC rating of C, falling just one point short of a B rating which only 1% of homes have attained. The EPC rating exceeds the average for all homes in the survey, as found by Halifax Estate Agents. Prices at the Old Apple Store start from £275,000.

The homes’ energy efficiency is outshone by its A rating for environmental impact. The detached homes at the Old Apple Store score 102 points, emitting just 0.3 tonnes of CO2 annually. The average household in the UK emits 6 tonnes of CO2 each year. The marker for the A Band is 92 points. Even among eco homes it is the best score yet seen to date.

Fairglen, Hayle near St Ives in Cornwall

At Fairglen, Hayle near St Ives in Cornwall, the new three-bedroom houses have an average EPC rating of C, scoring 80 on the scale which is only 1 point away from being awarded a B rating. Other eco-initiatives being implemented include heating and hot water from ground-source heat exchangers, photovoltaic arrays, and rainwater harvesting.

The energy efficiency at the homes in Fairglen is so good that projected per annum running costs amount to only £358 – lighting £44, heating £207, hot water £107. The annual bill for heating, lighting and hot water in the average three-bedroom house in England would be in the region of £1,000 per year. Prices at Fairglen start from £250,000.

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Southwold – East Anglian magic

There can be only be a handful of places in the UK that provoke, almost without exception, the reaction, “Oh what a wonderful place, so charming, so… special. And it’s not just the rather more senior generation that responds like that. The town attracts families of all ages. Southwold is one such place.

Southwold's famous beach

It’s been a family favourite for several decades, and as children grow up and have kids of their own, so another generation returns to the beaches, the annual crabbing competitions, the ferry across the river, Adnams ales and some of the friendliest people you’ll meet anywhere. In the summer, parking can become a distinct problem and the sensible visitor leaves his or her car on the outskirts or near the Common where there’s plenty of space. At the moment, residents only have to struggle with parking during the summer months and then only in the streets around the High Street.

A new look?

Architecturally, the town has changed little for many years, which is all part of its charm. The town’s buildings are essentially rural so, for me, the look of the new development, Tibby’s Triangle, and the Adnams Cellar and Kitchen Store located on the site of the old Adnam’s distribution centre, is completely out of character with the rest of the town.

The front of Cellar & Kitchen, Tibby’s TriangleA local resident commented recently, “I’m all for architect-led, contemporary and sustainable development but Tibby’s Triangle appears to be a 90’s throwback – too dense, retro-building technologies, and with no understanding of the local vernacular.”

The Cellar and Kitchen Store is clad in shiny corrugated aluminium and the front of the building is sliced away at a weirdly acute angle and frankly, it’s hard to believe it ever received planning consent, so little does it blend in with it’s surroundings.

The front of Cellar & Kitchen, Tibby's Triangle

This is industry plonked down in the heart of a traditional-looking East Anglian coastal town. In addition, why there is a four-storey apartment block in the heart of the development is quite beyond me. Prices in the development are in the region of £489,995 for a 2-bedroom terraced house.

The High Street

Fortunately Tibby’s Triangle is sufficiently near the outskirts of Southwold that I’ve found it possible to hurry past and into the High Street. These days, the shops range from smart delis to uber chic women’s boutiques, but there are plenty of old friends such as the Amber Shop, Denny Clothes and Bookthrift that blend in with the quiet nostalgia of the Market Square.

Property prices

In earlier real estate downturns, property prices in the town stayed fairly level, dropping only slightly and once again, this seems to be true. Southwold is definitely a desirable niche for homebuyers and while some homes get stuck in the estate agents’ windows for a while, on the whole there’s quite a decent turnover of houses and flats.

Southwold's famous lighthouse

A 4-bedroom terraced house at the pier end of town sold recently for £500,000 while a 2-bedroom first floor flat overlooking South Green is on the market for a guide price of £410,000. Renting and buying beach huts is certainly a costly affair with prices for one of the larger huts starting anywhere in the region of £40-50,000.

A family home

To me, Southwold seems to have a micro-climate. Drive round Ipswich on the A14 on a horrible day with a gale blowing, the rain lashing down, the windscreen wipers fighting all the way. Then take the A12 north east towards Lowestoft and you’ll notice a slight brightening of the sky.

It’s about 30 miles from Ipswich to Southwold and by the time you go over the level crossing at Darsham the rain will probably have ceased and the wind eased off. Turn right onto the B1126, the sky will have cleared and the lighthouse will have appeared in the distance.

The ferry across to Walberswick from Southwold

If you have time, turn off to Walberswick from the A12, drive down to the harbour and enjoy looking back at Southwold before going off to the Anchor for lunch.

This part of East Anglia has so much to offer  visitor or second home owner alike, it’s no wonder that over the years so many people have returned to Southwold time after time.

New Chesterton Humberts’ House Price Poll of Polls shows second consecutive month increase in house prices

According to the Chesterton Humberts latest House Price Poll of Polls, house prices rose by 0.4% in July, the second consecutive month to show national house prices increasing. The average price of a residential property in England and Wales now stands £164,557, up £616 from the average price in June.

The Poll of Polls’ accuracy was highlighted last month following the Land Registry’s publication of house price data for June which matched the Poll of Polls’ forecast of a monthly change of +1.0 per cent month on month.

Highlights of this month’s data are:

• Six of the eight indices tracked by the Poll of Polls now show monthly gains in house prices for their most recent month of data and none of the indices with data for July report declining prices

• House prices fell in eight out of twelve regions and countries of the United Kingdom in July; however the two regions with the largest populations, London and the South East show prices rising by 0.5% month-on-month, raising the weighted average

• House prices in London rose by 0.5% over the month to July, adding £1,486 to the value of a typical house in the capital

• Less than half (47.6%) of local authorities experienced monthly falls in house prices in July and the proportion of those with annual declines in excess of 10% remained at 72% for a second month

• The top 20% of properties by value experienced an increase in house prices of 0.9% over the month to July. However, prices of the bottom fifth fell by 0.8%

• For the first time since January 2008, all of the four main property types experienced an increase in price over the month. The price of flats rose by 0.7% in July from June, with a smaller increase of 0.2% for the most expensive type, detached housing.

Robert Bartlett, Chesterton Humberts CEO, comments:

Robert Bartlett, CEO of Chesterton Humberts

“This upward trend in property prices masks the fact that volumes remain low. Demand in parts of London and the South East is being frustrated by the lack of supply while the continued lack of adequate mortgage finance is affecting the entire market.

“The volume of new applicants now looking to buy has risen dramatically in just the past three months and this is having a marked effect on house prices. In an increasing number of cases we now have as many as five or six interested parties making offers on the same property.

“However, the lack of mortgage finance, the very cautious mortgage valuations and the desperately long transaction delays are leading to a considerable number of abortive sales.  These issues are causing considerable frustration amongst both buyers and sellers and are undoubtedly keeping the market back.”

Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of CEBR, comments:

“While positive growth has now returned for house prices on a month-on-month basis, it is far from certain that any meaningful recovery will take hold in the near future. Credit channels remain tight with mortgage lending – which is still 58% lower than the same month two years ago – increasing only marginally every month.

“The key unknown is the extent to which rising unemployment and weak wage growth will lead to a second round of house price falls, or whether this has already been built into existing expectations. Either way, we expect the recovery in the housing market to be sluggish over the medium term.”

Please visit www.chestertonhumberts.com for more information.

The Chesterton Humberts’ Poll of Polls brings together the leading house price indices to capture a unique look at properties for sale and that have been sold, in effect creating a medium value for house price polls. This report has been produced by Chesterton Humberts and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

CEBR is an independent economics and business research consultancy established in 1993 providing forecasts and advice to City institutions, government departments, local authorities and numerous blue chip companies throughout Europe. The contributor to this report was economist Benjamin Williamson.

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property & Travel Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

An industry insight into our energy needs

In the most recent edition of TTA property marketing specialist’s publication, industry insights, the environmental issue contains the following article by Tweedie Brown, deputy chairman of PSG Solutions. It should make anyone connected with property, whether as homeowner, developer or agent, pause for thought…

It’s the winter of 2014; UK plc is on a three-day working week; troops have been called in to aid the police in quelling riots and preventing looting; petrol stations and petrol depots are under armed guard; power is supplied on the National Grid for eight hours a day – priority is being given to the manufacturing base and superstores in an effort to keep the economy going and the populace fed.

The winter of discontent...

Constant interruptions

Problems are particularly bad in large conurbations where there are the tallest tower blocks and sink estates with no lighting and constant interruptions to power supplies. The unemployed are turning to violence and intimidation in their frustration. The old and single parent families are suffering particular depredation. These are dark, disturbing days of despair.

On mainland Europe there is a different story. France is sitting pretty. Their investment in nuclear power has paid handsome dividends. Along with most of the EC their supplies are secured. Britain regularly has to go to Brussels with its energy cap in hand to beg for help. Once again it is regarded as the ‘sick man of Europe’.

Other methods

Meanwhile in households up and down the UK, people who are fed up with constant interruptions to their power supplies are turning to other methods of generating their own electricity. Small, efficient wind turbines capable of supplying power to single buildings are selling like hot cakes; air source and ground source heat pumps are in high demand; photo voltaic and solar panels are appearing on roofs and beginning to outnumber satellite dishes.

Surplus energy is piped into the national grid from those fortunate enough to produce it and an ‘I’m all right Jack’ mentality has taken a grip on society. And with the exception of these ‘off -grid’ generation technologies, there’s no prospect of relief until 2020…

A flight of fancy? Impossible? Don’t bank on it. Welcome to the ‘Energy Crunch’! It may be an extreme view of our future in the global gas greenhouse of the next couple of decades, but the prospect of it has forced our Government to get its finger out and finally declare that ‘nuclear’ is an option – and a low carbon one at that – in the portfolio of energy production techniques that will be necessary to mitigate the effects of the energy crunch.

The reality is that we have been dithering about what is the best way to power the nation while our ability to do so has been diminishing. Currently, nuclear accounts for around 19 per cent of our energy production; by 2020, we will be lucky if even one of our existing 10 nuclear power stations is still in service.

It takes five to six years to design, build and commission a new one and about the same time (Sizewell B took six years to get planning consent) to steer a course through the local planning minefield. Do the sums: that means that we should be designing by 2014 and planning from last year! The Government is introducing legislation in an effort to short-circuit the planning obstacles, but we are all well aware of public inquiry pitfalls (try planning a new airport).

Security of supply

And similar decisions need to be made on energy generated by fossil fuels. At the same time as our existing nuclear production capability reduces, so does that from coal, oil and gas. All of these commodities are risky; not so much because they are finite resources and will eventually run out (although that is a serious consideration in the longer run) but in terms of security of supply.

This manifests itself in the vulnerability of the supply chain and the fragility of price fluctuations on world markets. Britain has got to the stage where it is becoming reliant on imports for all three categories of commodity.

We're an energy hungry nation

Not a happy place to be in an uncertain world with a voracious appetite for electricity. Alternative sources of power are, by and large, complementary to the core nuclear/fossil fuel methodologies. Sun, wind and sea technologies all provide useful additions to the mix, but they are, by their very nature, intermittent and at best offer a ‘top up’.

This is not to belittle the valuable contribution they offer, for there is a convincing argument to be made around diversifying energy generation to the maximum extent, so that reliance on a single or few sources is avoided, thereby minimising the risk of wholesale disruption. Going off grid is also an option and Combined Heat and Power systems, delivering electricity to communities, or for discrete industrial purposes, is highly efficient and importantly, a low-carbon means of doing so.

For individual domestic purposes the pundits say that the next generation of UK millionaires will be those who come up with micro-generation techniques that make homes energy self-sufficient.

The fact remains, though, that we are not there yet. We are faced with an energy crunch of enormous proportions. Some estimates put it at 40 per cent of peak national demand in 2020.

We need an alternative way to save the planet

Contact Details

PSG Solutions plc

t +44 (0)1484 773295

e tweediebrown@propertysearchgroup.co.uk

w http://www.psgonline.co.uk

Tweedie Brown CBE, Deputy Chairman

PSG Solutions plc and its subsidiary PSG Energy Ltd have been involved in the domestic and commercial energy assessment business for the past two years. We have seen the necessity to deliver, to a sometimes sceptical and often naïve client base, a reliable service that is based on trust and loyalty.

We have been closely following developments in the energy marketplace so that we can offer informed and impartial advice to our customers. We have seen a vision of the future that we don’t like and we want to make sure that it doesn’t happen.

Troops on the streets quelling energy crunch riots…?

TTA Contact details: 020 7886 0300 or go on-line at http://www.ttagroup.co.uk