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4 | 20TH - 26TH NOVEMBER 2015 | UTILITY WEEK National media Utilities losing out to 'trusted' retailers Utility companies are losing out to "trusted" retailers on sales of connected home products, according to busi- ness intelligence company CP Consulting. 7% of UK households have already purchased a connected home device 5% of these bought from their utility supplier 75% purchased online from a "trusted" retailer 60% bought cameras as their first device 32% bought a smart thermostat Apple to use only solar power in Singapore Apple has struck a deal to power all of its Singapore operations with renewable energy, the latest in a series of steps by the company to turn its operations green worldwide. Starting in January, solar energy developer Sunseap Group will provide Apple with 100 per cent renewable electricity from its solar energy systems built on top of more than 800 buildings in Singapore. The deal will make Apple the first company in Singapore to run exclusively on renewable energy. Reuters, 15 November Creature comforts cost owners £2m in energy Animal-lovers in Northern Ireland are spending an extra £2.2 million a year by leaving the heating or TV on to comfort pets when they're out. Energy Saving Trust research shows 43 per cent of pet owners admit to leaving the heating on dur- ing the day to keep their pets warm, while a quarter turn on the radio and 15 per cent leave the TV on to keep them company. But the Trust warned leaving the heating on all day for your pet could add up to £150 a year to your bill. Belfast Telegraph, 16 November China's bottled water industry eyes Tibet China has become the world's larg- est bottled water consumer and a major producer, and the market is expected to continue to grow. Water from Tibet's mountain glaciers is seen as the new point of growth. The snow-capped peaks of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau are perceived as a pure source of water that can command a premium price from consumers concerned about water pollution in China. This has spurred a huge influx of companies hoping to cash in on the region's water resources. The Guardian, 16 November STORY BY NUMBERS Water firms 'could pick up tab for farm pollution' Seven days... "We all appreciate the value of a clean, safe place to go to the toilet" Northern Ireland Water welcomes World Toilet Day on 19 November, which intends to raise awareness of the fact that 2.4 billion people – one third of all the people on earth – still do not have access to a safe place to go to the toilet. M inisters have failed to stop farmers polluting the UK's rivers, and water companies could be le to pick up the tab, environmental campaigners warned this week as they prepared to take the government to court. The WWF claims the UK government is "dragging its feet" over the protection of England's rivers, despite a Euro- pean commitment to ensure riv- ers are healthy by the end of this year. The green group has called for a judicial review of what it says is government inaction on river protection. Diffuse pollution, which occurs when small amounts of pollutants are washed into a water catchment across a wide area, is one of the biggest challenges to improving water quality in England. Water com- panies have been attempting to tackle the challenge through increased catchment-based solu- tions, but the co-operation of farmers is crucial. WWF freshwater project man- ager Kathy Hughes warned that the government's failure to force farmers to cut down on pollut- ants could leave other stakehold- ers, including water companies, to "pick up the costs". The WWF also suggested that the pending legal action the UK faces from the European Com- mission for failing to fully adopt the Water Framework Directive could be related to diffuse pol- lution. The Commission refused to clarify which elements of the directive the UK government has failed to implement. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has since launched a consulta- tion on basic measures to tackle diffuse pollution. It declined to comment on "any ongoing legal proceedings". LV $44/bbl Brent crude prices fell again this week towards the $44 per barrel mark and lows not seen since August, after US inventory data showed a seventh straight increase in US supplies. ➟