Utility Week

Community I can hear you! The klaxon has been howl- ing about impending Brexit no-deal catastrophe for so long that most of us simply don't hear it any more. The latest alarum – that the police won't legally be able to arrest for- eigners suspected of crimes – barely caused a raised eyebrow. Remainers are too exhausted to care anymore, and anyway assume they will be otherwise occupied trying to • nd insulin. Brexiteers mean- while are looking forward to a Mad Max-style adventure in which we all get to roar around on outlandish, cool-looking buggy things. Hey, a change is as good as a rest, right? Disconnector is apolitical in these matters, but were he of a superstitious disposition the portents are not good. In Belfast zoo this week a group of chimps were • lmed climbing out of their high- walled enclosure by the simple expedient of using a broken branch as a ladder. Clearly it's something they could have done at any time but have sensed that now is the right time to make their escape from Northern Ireland. Coincidence? Well, obviously. But what about the invasion of 50 polar bears in the Russian region of Novaya Zemlya last week? The authorities have called a state of emergency as local residents cower in their homes. Another coincidence? Disconnector is not one to spread panic, but if you hap- pen to see a wolf lying down with a lamb on your way home from work tonight, exercise some caution. I can see you! Whatever mess we're in, one thing's for sure, we can get out of it with stout hearts and some wise leadership. Unfortunately, the outlook on that front is not good either. Yup, we're talking Donald‰J here. The news portal of choice of the president of the US is Fox News. Apparently he watches it into the wee hours and the next day quizzes aides based on what he has seen. Last time we revealed how Fox news anchor Tucker Carlson had denounced wind energy as a scam, mainly on the grounds that wind doesn't blow when it's cold. Perhaps emboldened by this, last week fellow news anchor Pete Heg- seth revealed that he hadn't washed his hands "in about ten years", largely because he didn't believe in germs. He explained to his co- hosts: "Germs are not a real thing. I can't see them. There- fore, they're not real." He also went on to explain that by not washing his hands he was building up his resist- ance and "inoculating" him- self, though what exactly he was inoculating himself against if not germs he didn't explain. And this is a guy who analyses current a— airs for a large number of Americans. Including their president. Life sucks With all this in mind, perhaps it's only to be expected that someone is suing their parents on the basis that they never asked to be alive. The only surprise is that the litigant is an Indian man, Raphael Samuel. Indian families famously cherish their sons and it's hard to know what Raphael's beef is, since even he happily admits that his life has been "amazing". However, in Facebook posts he has compared being born to "slavery" and argues that people have children to satisfy themselves. "I don't see why I should put another life through the rigamarole of school and • nding a career," he is quoted as saying. Despite the imminent court action, he says he loves his par- ents dearly and they have been good to him. So what do they think of it? Over to Mrs Samuel: "I'm very happy that my son has grown up into a fearless, independent thinking young man… [and] I must admire my son's temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing both of us are lawyers." Disconnector Publishing director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Acting content director: Denise Chevin, 01342 332087, denisechevin@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray (maternity leave); Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; News editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@ fav-house.com; Energy correspondent: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@ fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Reporter: Adam John, t: 01342 332069, e: adamjohn@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332116; Business development executive: Sarah Wood, e: sarahwood@ fav-house.com. t: 01342 332117 Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e: sophieabbott@ fav-house.com; General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Offi ce. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2018 Membership subscriptions: UK £769+VAT per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the publishing director, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk UTILITY WEEK | 15TH - 21ST FEBRUARY 2019 | 31 Sarah Merrick @SpeakSarahSpeak Scrapping the zero-carbon homes policy was one of the worst energy policy decisions of recent years. Research now nds new home owners spend £200 a year more on energy than they would have. Jeremy Nicholson @JeremyNic666 Adding 1-2 per cent to the price of new housing is a signi cant extra cost – thousands of pounds – dwar ng potential saving in energy bills. There are much moreƒcost e„ ective ways of reduc- ing energy consumption/CO2 emissions. Paul Lewis @paullewismoney Ofgem con rms that £5 of the £117 a year rise in the price cap is to pay for the extra costs of the £3 billion comms network set up to run smart meters. Duncan Carter @Duncan_E_Carter Clever, but disingenuous, words from @ofgem's Dermot Nolan on @BBCr4today this morning. "50p per person is cost in this price cap" from recent supplier failures. He knows suppliers won't be paying the full costs of failure until future price caps. William Marchant @richonlyinname I started to write a convoluted joke about having surplus wind power on the system, but I've given up because it's just too long-winded. #UKPunDay Top Tweets

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