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Scottish Borders social housing pilots new energy system

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Scottish Borders social housing pilots new energy system


David Knox

BBC Scotland News

BBC Kate Forbes, a dark-haired woman in a blue suit, holds a mug while Muriel Allison, who has grey hair and is wearing a light blue blouse, pours water from a kettle.BBC

Muriel Allison pours Kate Forbes a cup of tea during the deputy first minister’s visit to Galashiels

Social housing in the Borders have been fitted with a new power storage system designed to reduce the properties’ energy bills by as much as 85%.

Eleven homes have had the systems installed as part of a trial involving Scottish Borders Housing Association.

Energy firm Knight PowerHub said the solar panels, and batteries used for storing the energy, had a longer operational life than previously available.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes visited the Galashiels home of Muriel Allison, one of the residents using the new system. Forbes said Ms Allison had already seen a fall in her costs.

Kight PowerHub said it hoped the systems could be mass manufactured in the south of Scotland soon.

If the pilot provides the expected savings, the scheme could be rolled out to other areas in coming years.

Founder Lawrence Fagg said: “We’re proud to start here in Galashiels, and even prouder to know this system could potentially help thousands more pensioners and families across Scotland.”

A grey-haired woman in a blue blouse and dark trousers sits next to a a dark-haired woman in a blue suit, while two grey-haired men in suits, and a brown-haired woman wearing a colourful scarf stands next to them

Muriel Allison was joined at her Galashiels home by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, along with Julia Mulloy, CEO of Scottish Borders Housing Association, Angus Flett, CEO of Kight Powerhub, and Russell Griggs, chair of South of Scotland Enterprise.

It has taken five years of research and development ahead of the social housing pilot starting this month.

By using artificial intelligence (AI) within the systems, time dependent tariffs are automatically triggered to keep bills to a minimum.

Julia Mulloy, chief executive of Scottish Borders Housing Association, said: “It’s a pioneering project which is not just about technology, it’s about people.”

He said there was potential to reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions.



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Pine Labs, Groww & more: Top stocks to watch on April 16 – The Times of India

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Pine Labs, Groww & more: Top stocks to watch on April 16 – The Times of India


Citigroup initiated its coverage of Pine Labs with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 235. Analysts said that India’s payments fintech is on a monetization improvement trajectory, with leading players increasingly entrenched in respective core areas of leadership. While product, services and distribution build-outs into comprehensive plays will continue across the fintech ecosystem, large players don’t face significant disruption risks owing to: Across-the-board profitability push; rising regulatory costs and compliance requirements; and stickiness borne out of integration into enterprise business workflows. Further, while consumer payments have seen flux in competitive positioning in the past decade, there have been relatively fewer changes in positioning and leadership within segments in merchant payments.BoFA Securities has initiated its coverage of Groww (Billionbrains Garage Ventures) with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 235. Analysts said Groww is well positioned to capitalize on India’s retail investing tailwinds and they expect compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for revenue at 30% over FY26-FY28. The company produces best-in-class profitability with further upside from operating leverage. Analysts have valued Groww at 39x FY28E price-to-earnings. They, however, said that the near-term risks for the stock are a weak capital market performance and the expiry of the six-month lock-in of shares post-IPO.Elara Capital initiated its coverage of Jindal Saw with a buy rating and a target price of Rs 280. Analysts said earnings recovery is expected over FY27–FY28, driven by water, and oil & gas demand. The company’s order book is at an all-time high, indicating strong visibility. They also feel Jal Jeevan Mission spending revival to drive domestic pipe demand, while the global pipeline capex is supported by energy security concerns. Analysts also pointed out that exports are rising, with diversification reducing dependence on domestic capex. The company’s capacity expansion to support margins and operating leverage. They feel the stock’s valuations are attractive, with rerating potential driven by execution and growth.Jefferies has downgraded Indus Towers to underperform from buy with a target price cut to Rs 375 from Rs 530. Analysts downgrade the stock due to site-renewal risks bunched up over second half of 2026 (H2CY26) and first half of 2027 (H1CY27) which could impact revenues and growth. Elevated capex levels due to higher growth and maintenance capex which will impact earnings growth as well free cash flow and payouts. They cut Indus Towers’ revenue and profit after tax (PAT) estimates by 2-6% to factor renewal risks post which stock offers 3% EPS growth and a 4% yield. They said risks on growth outlook should weigh on re-rating potential too.Kotak Institutional Equities has a buy on Ujjivan SFB with a target price of Rs 72. Analysts said that the RBI has returned Ujjivan SFB’s application for a universal bank license, citing need for further loan portfolio diversification. While the outcome is clearly not favourable, the regulator has flagged no concerns relating to governance, compliance or operational soundness. Analysts said their investment thesis did not factor in any benefit from a potential transition to a universal bank. Hence, they maintained a buy but remained watchful of any sharp changes in asset mix strategy in response to RBI’s feedback.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)



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China’s hits economic growth target despite Iran war disruption

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China’s hits economic growth target despite Iran war disruption



The better-than-expected GDP data comes as Asian countries have been hit hard by the impact of the conflict.



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Geelong fire: Blaze at Australian oil refinery to impact petrol supplies

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Geelong fire: Blaze at Australian oil refinery to impact petrol supplies



The fire has deepened fears over the nation’s petrol supplies amid a global crunch.



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