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UTILITY WEEK | 5TH - 11TH JUNE 2015 | 5 This week (1 June), Spanish firm Vortex Bladeless launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 (£33,000) to allow it to build a pilot of its bladeless wind turbine. Within a day the campaign raised $16,020 (£10,500). Vortex is a bladeless wind generator that uses vorticity, an aerodynamic effect that occurs when wind breaks against a solid structure, to produce energy. Vortex Bladeless claims the generator will produce energy at a cost 40 per cent lower than a conventional wind turbine. The company is in the process of developing three models for domestic, industrial and utility-scale generation. "Energy firms have totally run out of excuses for not cutting our bills" Which? executive director Richard Lloyd backs calls from energy secretary Amber Rudd for energy companies to cut retail prices. Read more on page 27. Energy regulator Ofgem has revealed fresh data showing customers are overspending by around £265 by not switch- ing from standard tariffs of- fered by the big six, at around £1,165 a year, to cheaper vari- able tariffs starting at £900. Research by independent supplier First Utility, which offers the cheapest available fixed tariff on the market, also backs this finding, showing that customers are overspend- ing by a total of £3.4 million a year because 70 per cent of customers are still on stand- ard variable tariffs offered by the big six. New Ofgem data shows overspend persists BBB+ Eon loses its A- credit rating as S&P issues a downgrade. Full story, see p19 ➟ Ovo exec to advise Rudd Energy secretary Amber Rudd has appointed Ovo's head of policy Guy Newey as her special adviser, according to political blogger Guido Fawkes. Newey joined the independent energy supplier in August last year following four years with right-leaning think-tank the Policy Exchange. SSE chief becomes Eurelectric vice president Big six energy supplier SSE's chief executive Alistair Phillips- Davies has been appointed vice president of pan-European energy association Eurelectric. Phillips-Davies is taking on the role to provide strategic advice to the organisation, which represents the common interests of the electricity industry across the EU. He will be supporting new Eurelectric president, and former Portuguese energy minister, Anto- nio Mexia, and working alongside fellow vice president Jean-Bernard Levy, chairman of EDF. Phillips-Davies said: "It's an important time to engage in the debates about how we can deliver a market that provides secure and low-carbon electricity supplies and meets the expectations of our customers. APPOINTMENTS Based on dual fuel average available tariff paid by direct debit with typical domestic consumption values compared to At May 2015