News

You may have noticed some rather important white smoke emitting from an Italian chimney in recent days.  Usually this might signify pollution, or the waste product from some industrial process… and would not be greeted with joy.  However this particular chimney was located in a very specific part of Italy… the Vatican City… and signaled that the 1.3 billion Catholics on the planet had a new pontiff, Pope Francis. The new Pope is said to be a great reformer and friend of all the downtrodden peoples of the world, so it’s a fair bet he may well continue the previous Pope’s laudable work in transforming the Vatican City into the greenest state on the planet.  And whether Catholic, Mormon, Atheist or follower of the Jedi teachings of Yoda, at Utility Helpline we hope everyone can applaud Pope Benedict XVI’s innovative and forward thinking energy saving attitude. We are, by now, well aware that we live in a world of diminishing energy reserves, which in turn fuel rising prices for all our energy bills, whether domestic or commercial.  Energy usage is not only a matter or practicality, but morality: We simply can’t continue to waste energy in the way we have previously, as demands are now putting the UK’s energy infrastructure under great pressure.  So let’s take a lead from the Vatican, where nearly 3000 solar panels were installed on the roof over the Paul VI auditorium.  These panels generate up to 200 watts per person and have had a huge impact in reducing the Vatican’s energy usage, as well as their CO2 emissions. And what about the Pope’s runabout?  You will no doubt have seen the famous Popemobile - well Renault donated a brand new customised Kangoo Maxi van to the last Pope.  Powered by a 44kilowatt electric motor, this Popemobile can go 150 miles without charging, enough power to get the new Pope out amongst the people, (and especially as the Pope is never known to travel at any great speed!) So, the smoke’s gone white and the Pope’s gone green.  And if the top man of the Catholic Church sees the virtue in energy saving measures, then we hope businesses across the UK might also take a lead.  From energy saving advice to the very right business energy rates on the market, Utility Helpline is here to assist…