Category Archives: Society

Consumer Affairs, Energy, Government, Society

Smart Meters and the ‘hidden agenda’

ENERGY USAGE

Smart Meters

ENERGY firms using smart meters have a “hidden agenda” to charge customers more when demand for power surges, an expert has warned.

The technology has been promoted as a way of ending estimated bills and giving households real-time information on how much energy they are using.

But it will also allow firms to introduce a raft of new tariffs that will hit those who use electricity and gas at peak times with higher charges.

Under these “time-of-use” tariffs those who use appliances at off-peak times overnight will be rewarded with low rates. This will have the effect of spreading out demand over a 24-hour period. This is seen as an advantage by the Government and energy industry because it means fewer power stations are needed to cover the daily peak.

. See also Concern over energy firms refusing to pass on price cuts…

But the move towards these tariffs raises the prospect of surge pricing during holiday periods when millions of householders are using appliances at the same time.

The former head of gas and electricity meter technology at the energy regulator OFGEM, Jerry Fulton, said the industry will quickly move beyond a two-tier peak and off-peak system to prices that change depending on demand every 30 minutes. He said: “I believe that the hidden agenda behind smart meters is that they will allow half-hourly charging.

“Instead of having two charge rates – day and night – the price of energy will change every half hour, so when solar and wind generation are low and usage is high the price of electricity will rise steeply.”

Unlike ordinary meters, smart devices transmit information about when households use most energy to suppliers.

The default setting on most means that the machines send a total usage figure to suppliers once a month. Customers can change this to send their data as often as every half an hour.

These regular updates are essential for those who have signed up to a tariff where prices vary depending on the time of day. This type of tariff was first offered by British Gas two years ago.

It ran trials giving smart meter customers free electricity for eight hours on either a Saturday or Sunday in an attempt to encourage them to shift heavy power use to this off-peak period.

Another smaller provider, Green Energy UK, has already launched a “time-of-day” tariff where prices vary between periods of high and low demand. It charges five times more for electricity used in early evening than it does overnight.

More of these types of tariffs are expected to flood the market as the rollout of smart meters continues. They are not yet compulsory, but suppliers must at least offer every household a smart meter by 2020.

Critics say everyone cooking family meals, watching prime-time TV shows and heating their homes in the evenings will be penalised by time-of-day tariffs. Higher charges are also likely to apply in the mornings when people are taking showers and heating their homes as they get ready for the day ahead.

A spokesperson for the comparison site Energy helpline, said: “Energy prices are confusing enough and fluctuating half-hourly tariffs will complicate matters further. How are you supposed to know when to turn the dishwasher on when the cost is continually changing?

“For years the Government has been saying it wants to simplify the energy market for customers. This will do the exact opposite.”

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Government, Health, Medical, Science, Society

Cannabis: Drug closely linked to psychosis

CANNABIS DEBATE

As debate in Britain is renewed over the legalising of cannabis, a leading academic has claimed that the drug is linked to psychosis.

THERE has been renewed debate in Britain over the legislation of cannabis. Last week, for the first time ever, the NHS prescribed cannabis oil for 12-year-old Billy Caldwell to treat his epilepsy.

But a psychiatric expert, Professor Robin Murray, an authority on schizophrenia at King’s College London, has claimed that one in six people with psychosis in the UK would never have developed it if they had not smoked the drug. The leading academic said about 50,000 people were now diagnosed as psychotic solely because they used the substance while teenagers. Many had no family history of psychosis and would have had no risk of developing the disease if they had not smoked ‘high-strength cannabis’, he claimed.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has also spoken out to warn that cannabis use ‘doubles the risk’ of someone becoming psychotic. The warning was given following comments made by former Tory leader William Hague who said the drug should be decriminalised for recreational use.

Professor Murray said: ‘If you smoke heavy, high-potency cannabis, your risk of psychosis increases about five times.

‘A quarter of cases of psychosis we see in south London would not have happened without use of high-potency cannabis. It is more prevalent in that area, but the figure for Britain would be one in six – or approximately 50,000 people.’

Cannabis can make users feel paranoid, experience panic attacks and hallucinations, and it is also linked to depression and anxiety. Many experts claim it is only people who are predisposed to psychosis who develop it after smoking cannabis. However, Professor Murray added: ‘It is true there are some people with a family history of it who are pushed into psychosis more easily by smoking cannabis. But most have no family history, there is no evidence they are predisposed to schizophrenia or psychosis. The problems start only when they are 14 and 15 and start using cannabis.’

It is believed the drug disrupts dopamine, a brain chemical which helps people predict what is going to happen and respond rationally. In developing brains, cannabis can skew this so that people become paranoid and deluded.

Dr Adrian James, Registrar at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: ‘As mental health doctors, we can say with absolute certainty that cannabis carries severe risks. The average cannabis user is around twice as likely as a non-user to develop a psychotic disorder.’

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Health, Medical, Society

New medical guidelines for dementia patients

DEMENTIA

DOCTORS have been instructed to recognise the “human value” of patients with dementia as part of a major overhaul of care.

Dementia patients should be treated as individuals, have a say in their care and not face discrimination for their age or the severity of the illness, new guidelines say.

While there is currently no cure for dementia, the guidelines stress the importance of diagnosis so that patients and their families can prepare for the future and start treatments to slow its advance. This includes giving patients a controversial spinal tap when doctors are unsure whether they have dementia.

. See also Research reveals a healthy diet helps to stave off dementia

Charities have welcomed the care blueprint but warned that substantial investment would be needed to implement the measures, which include appointing dementia “champions” to advise patients and their families on the care available.

A spokesperson from the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s encouraging to see the steps it’s taking to ensure the needs and rights of people with dementia are met. However, the guideline is just a starting point. What we need now is support to implement these recommendations.”

Recent figures suggest a million Britons are living with dementia. This is expected to double by 2051 due to the ageing population and obesity, which raises the risk of the condition.

Health watchdog NICE drew up the new advice – the first changes to healthcare guidance in a decade – to improve the postcode lottery of care on the NHS following concerns that dementia patients were being failed across the UK.

Ofsted-style ratings carried out in 2016 found that 57 per cent of health boards were giving patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s inadequate care.

Officials found some patients were never diagnosed with dementia, while many of those who were did not receive a check-up for 12 months. Last year, a major study found hundreds of thousands of Britons had dementia but did not know because they were never given a formal diagnosis in case it made them anxious.

For the first time, the guidelines urge doctors to carry out a spinal tap – using a needle to extract spinal fluid from patients whose diagnosis is unclear. However, the procedure is uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and can cause side-effects such as severe headaches and infections.

Other changes include a recommendation for more training for staff such as carers at home, in care homes and GPs to better support people living with dementia. The guidance says people with dementia and their carers should be assigned a health or social care professional to co-ordinate treatment, rather than being left to navigate the options themselves.

Initial assessments should include recording a history – including cognitive, behavioural and psychological symptoms – and how it affects daily life.

This should either come from the patient or a spouse, loved one or carer who knows them well, it recommends.

Alzheimer’s Research UK said: “We’re very happy to see the NICE guidelines give additional attention to how health professionals can help people with dementia get involved in research.”

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