Npower To Offer Free Carbon Monoxide Alarms To Mark Gas Safety Week

npower is offering a free carbon monoxide alarm worth £25 to anyone who purchase hometeam 50 boiler and central heating care to mark Gas Safety week (12-18 September).

Emily Stagg from npower hometeam 50, commented: “As people begin to use their central heating systems this autumn, the chance of a carbon monoxide leak increases significantly.

“Checking appliances regularly for damage and having your boiler professionally serviced by a Gas Safe Engineer just once a year could also significantly reduce the risk of leaks by detecting problems early. September is the ideal time to do this, as you usually aren’t yet relying on your heating daily. It’s also a good time to consider boiler care, so you’re covered should anything go wrong during the winter.

“That’s why we’re offering double the peace of mind with our carbon monoxide alarms for everyone that signs up to hometeam 50 during this week.”

Carbon monoxide alarms from npower hometeam come pre-fitted with batteries so no installation or mains power is required. The kite-marked alarms, which are fully approved by all European standards, come with a six year guarantee and an automatic sensor adjustment with a continuous self-test function to ensure complete accuracy. The CO alarm should be positioned in the same room as the gas appliance or boiler and replaced after six years.

npower hometeam 50 is available for boiler and central heating care and offers customers 50 per cent of their annual fee back if they haven’t called out npower’s hometeam during their 12 month contract. The cost of hometeam 50 also includes a gas safety inspection and annual boiler service usually worth £75.57. 24 hour emergency helpline and 12 month guarantee for repairs.

Via EPR Network
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Opus Energy Signs Virgin Media As Impressive Growth Continues

Independent energy supplier to UK businesses, Opus Energy, has today announced the signature of its 100,000th business site, Virgin Media. The business joins a portfolio of market-leading brands which includes Paperchase, Allied Irish Bank (GB), University of Cambridge, Halfords and KPMG, amongst others.

Opus’ success comes at a time when the energy regulator, Ofgem, is looking for ways to decrease the dominance of the ‘Big Six’ energy providers and demonstrates that independent suppliers can thrive. The company’s Corporate division, experienced 28% growth from this time last year and continues to expand rapidly.

The stellar performance is due to Opus’ market-leading solution for larger corporates, Opus Evolution, which has seen a 122% increase in customers. Opus’ corporate customers are making the switch away from traditional fixed price contracts, displaying a growing appetite for flexible purchasing solutions which enable them to take advantage of fluctuating electricity prices. Opus expects the growth to continue into 2012, as demand for Opus Extra, which gives the smaller corporate customer access to flexible purchasing on the wholesale market, grows.

Steve James, Commercial Director, responsible for the Corporate division commented: “We are delighted to have hit the 100,000 mark, and welcome Virgin Media to our roster of customers, the latest in a long line of flagship brands to join us. Our growth demonstrates that there is an alternative to the Big Six suppliers and is a result of our commitment to developing innovative and flexible products driven by our customers’ needs.”

“We work with our customers to provide individual billing solutions, contract types and reporting functions tailored to their requirements, rather than by trying to squeeze them into a ‘one-size fits all’ approach.”

Opus Energy’s growth has also been driven by the rapid expansion of its gas supply business. Launched in October 2009 the service now has over 8,000 live sites, an uptake or more than 75% over the business’ initial target. Designed to offer customers an affordable and reliable alternative to existing suppliers, the service allows them to access competitively priced, fixed-term contracts, shielding them from price fluctuations.

Charlie Crossley Cooke, Opus Energy’s Managing Director comments; “The last 12 months have been very exciting for Opus Energy. Our continued growth and investment in our customers is reflected in not only the successful introduction of new products, services and partners but also in the increased employment of customer facing staff to help deliver the services we provide our business customers. We now look forward to continuing to expand over the next twelve months.”

Via EPR Network
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Npower Employee Attempts To Reclaim The Recumbent Cup

Rob Webb did not take losing the Recumbent Cup, a couple of years ago, lying down. He got back on his bike, determined to reclaim it following completion of his latest ride, the world’s longest and oldest long-distance cycle race, the Paris – Brest – Paris.

The intranet manager at npower’s offices in Worcester, Rob (48) started his training back in January, with the intention of reclaiming his old record. The Recumbent Cup is awarded by Audax UK (AUK) to the rider of a recumbent bike who gains the most points during a season.

Long-distance rides are called Audax rides, from the Latin word for ‘audacious’. Audax UK organises and validates rides and is affiliated to the governing body, the ACP (Audax Club Parisienne) in France. The shortest Audax ride is 200km (125 miles) for which two points are awarded (one point per 100km/62 miles cycled). Standard ride distances are 200km, 300km (185 miles), 400km (250 miles) and 600km (360 miles).

The Paris – Brest – Paris challenge, which pre-dates the Tour de France, involved more than 5,000 cyclists and covered 1,200km. Rob added another 1,000 km riding from Worcester to Paris and back. Riders have to complete the race within 90 hours. Rob took part in the PBP in 1999, completing it in 85 hours and again in 2003, when he knocked ten hours off his time.

However, it was well worth the pain and effort, as he explained: “The ride itself was very hard – even by PBP standards; weather conditions went from blazingly hot (you should see my suntan), to epic thunderstorms of biblical proportions, and really dense fog climbing the Roc Trévézal, the highest point in Brittany.

“The support of the local people was amazing. Thousands of people along the route cheered the riders on all day and all night, with many offering free food and drink and the essential top-ups for empty water bottles. On all long-distance and ultra-distance rides there are times when you are at a physical or mental low point and a cheery “bon courage” shouted as you pass a family, at the side of the road, in the middle of the night really helps lift the spirits.”

Rob’s vehicle of choice is a Bacchetta Giro 20, which he has spent both time and money modifying and upgrading, so that both he and the bike were prepared for this year’s challenge.

He has now reached 94 points (5828 miles), beating the current Recumbent Cup holder by twelve points. When Rob last held the title he had 72 points, meaning he will have added a further 1,364 miles to his cycling total this season. But the title is not yet in the bag; Rob will have to wait until the end of the season to see whether he has beaten his rivals to the title.

Via EPR Network
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