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ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Dec 2010 / Jan 2011 www.esb.ie/em
ESBIE Dual Fuel Contract with Cara Partners
ESBIE
ESB INDEPENDENT Energy (ESBIE) has signed a dual fuel contract to supply both electricity and natural gas to Cara Partners. The contract was awarded after ESBIE emerged as the successful supplier in a competitive tender process.
Cara Partners is supplied at Medium Voltage and has an annual electricity consumption of 8 GWh and annual gas consumption of 25 GWh. The contract for both gas and electricity is valued in excess of €1.2M.
The innovative contract structure allows Cara Partners significant flexibility to determine the gas, carbon and foreign exchange inputs to their final energy costs.
Commenting on the new contract, Noel O’Neill, Cara Partners Financial Controller, stated, “Cara Partners welcomes the selection of ESBIE as our supplier of electricity and natural gas. We have an excellent working relationship with ESBIE and we hope to build on this with the additional business”.
“Retaining the electricity supply business of a key customer such as Cara Partners while also expanding our relationship to include the supply of natural gas is excellent news for ESBIE. ESB takes pride in the improvements in health and safety that our people, and those working with us, have delivered over the past decade. Safety remains a core value of the company and we will continue our progress towards an injury free workplace.
I know the excellent relationship between the customer and the ESBIE Customer Relationship Manager, John Drinan has played a significant part in the decision” commented Derek Russell, Commercial Manager, ESBIE. He added, “Offering more services and products to our existing customers has always been a key strategic goal of ESBIE and it is great to see we are continuing to compete and win such business through competitive tendering. Over the last year through the determined work of many dedicated people we have grown our retail gas business to a level where now we have contracts to supply gas to the equivalent of over 10,000 domestic homes. I would like to thank Cara Partners for their faith in ESBIE, their valued business and their willingness to work even more closely with ESBIE in the future – we will do all we can to ensure their experience continues to be a rewarding one”.
Cara Partners is a French-German joint venture that manufactures a standardised extract of Ginkgo Biloba, EGb 761, an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).
The joint venture is between the Ipsen Group of France and the Schwabe Group of Germany.
Cara Partners employees 87 people, of which 40 have a third level qualification. The plant operates a three shift system in the manufacturing facilities.
Ginkgo biloba extract is used to treat chronic cerebral impairment and peripheral vascular disorders.
New Appointment
ESBIE
ESB INDEPENDENT Energy recently appointed a new key member to its team, Danny Mills, who comes to ESBIE with a wealth of experience in the gas and electricity sector. Danny worked for almost 10 years in utilities in both UK and Ireland and will now play a lead role in continuing to grow ESBIE’s retail gas business.
ESBIE entered the retail gas market in 2009 and has been steadily growing its customer base in a very competitive environment. ESBIE provides businesses with real choice when it comes to electricity, gas and energy services, as we continue to build long-term strategic relationships with all our customers. We will continue to provide the same top-class level of customer service to our customers in all our product and service offerings.
Speaking about the appointment, ESBIE ROI Sales Manager Mike Counihan said, “It is great to have someone with the skill set and experience of Danny joining our team. Danny will play a key role as we enhance our product offerings to our valued customers with the addition of gas. We will work hard over the next few years to grow our presence in this complementary market for ESBIE. Danny will be a great asset to our business and we look forward with confidence towards achieving our goals and meeting customer’s expectations.”
ESBIE Commercial Manager Derek Russell commented, “It is timely to have Danny joining our team, as we have begun to make real inroads into the business retail gas market. We have very ambitious plans to grow our presence and expand into other market sectors. Danny will ensure that we have a real focus in this area and that we succeed.”
The Connected World: Internet scams
SERVICES ORGANISATION
THE INTERNET changes at such a rapid pace, and so quickly, that it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of it. Unfortunately one section of our society that seems to keep track of changing technologies are the unscrupulous fraudsters and con artists. In our previous articles we discussed the issue of identity theft and how to protect your privacy. In this issue we will be highlighting the various scams used by fraudsters and con artists striving to part you from your hard earned money.
Before we start, the scams listed below all exist and they are not myths. The reason they exist is because (1) there are unscrupulous people out there and (2) there are trusting or vulnerable, people who fall for them.
There have been many studies completed on the psychology of selling. Some researchers break sales down into two types, the ‘fear’ sale and the ‘greed’ sale. The ‘fear’ sale is where if you don’t do something or buy something then something bad will happen. If you don’t buy a burglar alarm then you will be burgled. That is a hard sell as people are more prone to part with their money where there is a gain to be had rather than a risk to be countered. The scammers rely on the ‘greed’ sell. It’s much easier to get somebody’s attention and get them to ‘buy’ something, if they think that they are going to profit from it.
There are many different types of internet scams in operation throughout the world and they cover a variety of topics, all of which are designed to part you from your money. They include but are not limited to:
Financial
Banking & online account scams, Credit card scams, Phoney fraud alerts, Requests for your account information also known as ‘phishing’. Chain letters, Pyramid schemes, Cheque overpayments, Up-front payment schemes, Money transfer requests.
Health
Fake online pharmacies, Miracle cures & Weight loss.
Investment
Investment scams aka ‘get-rich-quick’, Investment cold calling, Investment seminars, Share promotions and ‘hot tips’, Sports investment.
Jobs & Employment
Superannuation, Business opportunity, Guaranteed employment / income, Work from home, Directories and advertising (false billing).
Lottery and sweepstake scams
Unexpected ‘prizes’ or fake prizes, Missed calls & text messages from unknown numbers, Ring tone scams, SMS competition and trivia, ‘Free’ offers on the internet.
Life Style
Dating and romance, Psychic and clairvoyant scams.
Protect yourself – The Golden rules
- If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
- There is no such thing as a free lunch
- Use your common sense: the offer may be a scam.
- Remember there are no real get-rich-quick schemes: the only people who make money are the scammers.
- Always get independent advice if an offer involves significant money, time or commitment.
- Do not agree to offers or deals straight away: tell the person that you are not interested or that you want to get some independent advice before making a decision.
- Never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust.
- Check your bank account and credit card statements when you get them. If you see a transaction you cannot explain, report it to your credit card provider or bank.
- If you receive requests for your bank account information contact IS Security.
For more information on safe computing contact IS Security.
