One key step businesses can take is to put systems in place to better manage Triads and the transmission fees that result from them.

Each year, three half-hour periods of peak energy demand, known as Triads, are called by the National Grid, and the demand in these periods is used to set transmission fees (TNUoS), which can be part of energy bills. Triads fall between November and February, usually between 5-6pm during cold weather spells, when industrial demand coincides with the high domestic tea-time period.

However, businesses that have TNUoS as a pass-through charge on their bill can actively manage their consumption, and therefore their costs, during these times as part of an business energy management strategy. npower offers a Triad warning service for customers, issuing a prediction of when a Triad period is likely to occur a day in advance so that businesses can make an informed choice on how to manage their consumption and reduce the impact of National Grid fees. Businesses can estimate how much they could save by responding to Triad warnings using npower's free Triad savings calculator tool at http://bit.ly/TriadCalculator.

Wayne Mitchell, npower's industrial and commercial markets director, added: "We're always working to help businesses take control of their energy costs, and planning to manage Triads is a key part of an integrated energy strategy. npower not only issues Triad warnings a day in advance, to enable businesses to incorporate any measures into their usual energy management plans, but our online savings calculator can also help businesses work out the cost benefits of signing up to the warning service.

"npower has offered a triad warning service for over 15 years and has an excellent track record for accuracy. We would urge businesses to sign up as soon as possible, so they have the alerts in place before the cold weather begins. Only then they will be able to take full advantage of the benefits offered."

For more information on npower's Triad warning service and how your organisation can save money visit www.npower.com/triad.

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About npower:
npower is one of the top energy suppliers to the UK business market, serving over 238,000 small to medium sized enterprise sites and around 17,000 industrial and commercial customers, with over 100,000 sites.

npower Industrial and Commercial Markets is an award-winning business energy supplier. In 2010 it was named 'The Consumer Supplier of the Year' at The Energy Event and was also awarded 'Energy Supplier of the Year' at the inaugural Energy 'Buying & Supplying Excellence' Awards. Both awards were voted for by business customers. In 2011 npower also won the 'Risk Product or Service of the Year' at The Energy Awards.

npower is dedicated to helping UK businesses use energy more efficiently and therefore spend less money on their bills. We aim to have a positive impact on the communities we serve and reduce our customers' carbon footprint whilst always improving our service to our customers.

npower specialises in risk management solutions, including market-leading flexible energy purchasing, energy efficiency, and broader energy management functions, tailored to every size of business. npower helps companies monitor and manage energy consumption to bring commercial and environmental benefits. To achieve this, npower has developed a monitoring and targeting (M&T) tool – encompass. A web-based system, encompass gives businesses accurate and timely information on their energy consumption, providing them with data they need to implement cost and CO2 reduction policies.

The system automatically collects data from half-hourly and smart meters, providing a detailed report on a business's energy consumption behaviour, and the related cost and environmental impacts of this.

PR Contact:
Nick McHugh
npower
Bridgwater Road
Worcester
WR4 9FP
0845 070 2807
www.npower.com