Business
Click Energy announces first electricity rise in over three years
Click Energy has announced it will implement a 3.5% increase in household electricity rates, “due to a rise in wholesale and market costs”.
It said this would result in the typical annual domestic electricity bill rising by about £39.60. The rates are effective from 1 November.
Click Energy said it recognised that “any increase in energy prices is disappointing and not something customers ever want to hear”.
However, it added that it had “not increased its domestic prices in over three years”.
“Unfortunately, the sustained rise in wholesale and market costs means it has become necessary for us to adjust our rates accordingly,” Andy Porter of Click Energy said.
“At Click Energy, our priority has always been to provide customers with transparent pricing and strong customer support.
“We remain committed to delivering fair value and to helping those who may be struggling with their bills.”
Raymond Gormley, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council, said a typical Click Energy credit customer would “see their annual electricity bill increase from around £1,141 to £1,171 and a typical prepayment customer will see their annual costs increase to around £1,181”.
“While this is unwelcome news for around 33,000 Click Energy consumers, the main drivers for this are rising wholesale and market related charges,” he said.
Mr Gormley said he would encourage consumers “to think about the way they pay for their energy and see if they can reduce their energy costs”.
Last month, Power NI said an electricity price tariff rise of 4% was “unavoidable” following a review by the Utility Regulator.
It was the second tariff increase from Power NI in less than a year.
Meanwhile, SSE Airtricity announced that gas prices in Greater Belfast and West would be dropping by 8.47%.
Firmus Energy announced its gas price in the Ten Towns area would fall by almost 8% in October, which is the equivalent to £78 a year for a typical customer.
The Ten Towns area includes Antrim, Armagh, Banbridge, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon, Newry, Lo
The government on Thursday kept petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices unchanged at Rs253.17 per litre and Rs257.08 per litre respectively, for the coming fortnight, starting from January 16.
This decision was notified in a press release issued by the Petroleum Division.
Earlier, it was expected that the prices of all petroleum products would go down by up to Rs4.50 per litre (over 1pc each) today in view of variation in the international market.
Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middle classes.
Meanwhile, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary, as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains, and agricultural engines such as trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells, and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The government is currently charging about Rs100 per litre on petrol and about Rs97 per litre on diesel.
One of Britain’s most prolific rail fare dodgers could face jail after admitting dozens of travel offences.
Charles Brohiri, 29, pleaded guilty to travelling without buying a ticket a total of 112 times over a two-year period, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He could be ordered to pay more than £18,000 in unpaid fares and legal costs, the court was told.
He will be sentenced next month.
District Judge Nina Tempia warned Brohiri “could face a custodial sentence because of the number of offences he has committed”.
He pleaded guilty to 76 offences on Thursday.
It came after he was convicted in his absence of 36 charges at a previous hearing.
During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Tempia dismissed a bid by Brohiri’s lawyers to have the 36 convictions overturned.
They had argued the prosecutions were unlawful because they had not been brought by a qualified legal professional.
But Judge Tempia rejected the argument, saying there had been “no abuse of this court’s process”.
JSW Jetour T2 Launch: JSW Motors Limited, the passenger vehicle arm of the JSW Group, is reportedly preparing to enter the Indian car market this year. It has partnered with Jetour, a China-based automotive brand owned by Chery Automobile, and the Jetour T2 SUV could be the company’s first product, according to the reports.
Media reports suggest that the launch will happen independently and not under the JSW MG Motor India joint venture. The SUV will wear a JSW badge and name, instead of the Jetour branding. The upcoming SUV will be assembled at JSW’s upcoming greenfield manufacturing facility in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra.
According to the reports, the company plans to have the vehicle on sale by the third quarter of this year. With this move, JSW aims to establish itself as a standalone carmaker in India.
Expected Powertrain
The SUV is likely to arrive with a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid setup. Internationally, this hybrid powertrain is offered with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. It is still unclear which version will be introduced in India.
Design
In terms of design, the T2 is a large and rugged-looking SUV. It has a boxy and upright stance, similar to vehicles like the Land Rover Defender. Despite its tough appearance, it uses a monocoque chassis instead of a ladder-frame construction.
Size
The SUV measures around 4.7 metres in length and nearly 2 metres in width. This makes it larger than the Tata Safari, even though it is a five-seater. A longer 7-seat version is also sold in some markets.
Price
Pricing details for India are yet to be announced. For reference, the front-wheel-drive five-seat T2 i-DM is priced at AED 1,44,000 (around Rs 35 lakh) in the UAE.
Jetour
Jetour is a brand owned by Chinese automaker Chery. Launched in 2018, it focuses mainly on SUVs and is present in markets across China, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
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