'Use petrol, please'

14 June 2023

On the route to Net Zero there will be many bumps in the road. Here’s one of them.

A hirer tells me that he recently supplied an electric machine to a contractor working on a home extension, but very soon the tradesman returned to swap it for a petrol powered alternative. 

Apparently he had politely asked to plug the machine into the domestic supply but the householder flatly refused. 

The home owner said that with spiralling electricity bills there was no way they would have any more equipment running than absolutely necessary. So a petrol alternative was needed. 

Having rocketed in the wake of supply chain disruption and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, electricity prices are expected to fall as 2023 progresses, partly because of a relatively mild winter. 

However, it’s likely that prices won’t revert to pre-Covid levels for many years, if ever. 

So, best hang on to some of those petrol machines for now. 

● Energy giant Shell has ditched plans to reduce its oil output every year as it attempts to boost investor confidence, The Times reports. The group announced that it would “stabilise” oil production, replacing a previous target of reducing oil output by 1 to 2 per cent each year, after making steeper cuts than expected to date.

Wael Sawan, Shell’s chief executive, said: “We are investing to provide the secure energy customers need today and for a long time to come, while transforming Shell to win in a low-carbon future." 

Photo: Willi Heidelbach