Energy giant Scottish Power has announced 300 jobs.

Scottish Power is looking to attract school leavers who will be offered "lifelong development opportunities" within the company. They anticipate that they will recruit "at least 50 new graduates by 2013 and around 50 new apprenticeships".

Ignacio Galan, chairman of Scottish Power, also said that the company is looking for "the next generation of workers" to replace those who are retiring.

The recruitment drive also looks to fulfil 200 engineering positions and a full programme of training will be offered to all successful applicants. The majority of placements will be in Scotland but Scottish Power also has networks in North England and North Wales.

Scottish Power will be investing £5bn in electricity network improvements over the next 10 years.

An exciting campaign has been launched today called The Energy Bill Revolution.

The Energy Bill Revolution campaigns for the government to direct the money it acquires from carbon tax revenue into creating energy efficient UK homes.

Transform UK, the Co-operative Group and Consumer Focus have commissioned a fascinating report which highlights the current fuel poverty issues and how The Energy Bill Revolution can take steps to combat these.

6.4 million households are currently in fuel poverty, that's 1 in 4 UK homes and the research undertaken by energy efficiency experts Camco suggests that this figure will dramatically increase to 1 in 3 by 2016.

Fuel poverty is a serious problem which the UK government have committed to abolish in England and Wales by 2016.  A household is considered fuel poor if the spend on fuel is more than 10% of its income. Energy efficient properties with adequate insulation and modern boilers are the most cost effective ways to reduce the cost of household energy bills but unfortunately not everyone is in a position to afford the cost of the upgrades.

Over the next 15 years, the report projects that the government will collect around £4 billion per year in carbon taxes.  If this money was used on UK home efficiency measures the research suggests that not only would there be quadruple savings on current carbon emission targets and a wealth of new jobs created but 9 out of 10 homes will be brought out of fuel poverty.

Director of Transform UK, the not-for-profit organisation co-ordinating the campaign, Ed Matthew, said: "More people die every year in the UK from living in a cold home than die on our roads. Millions more struggle to make ends meet in the face of high energy bills. This is nothing short of a national scandal. The time for excuses and sticking plaster solutions is over. Recycling carbon tax revenue to make homes super energy efficient is a fair and permanent financial solution to end the suffering."

The campaign has already gathered incredible support from over 50 leading charities, environmental groups, consumer groups, unions and prominent businesses.

If you are in support of this campaign, become part of the revolution and sign the petition today at www.energybillrevolution.org

To heat or eat? A very real question for Britain's poorest families who are struggling to afford their energy bills.

Barnado's report, aptly titled 'Priced out', highlights the current reality of families in poverty who are £450 short as they are 'priced out' of heating their homes adequately.

The report states that families with low incomes need to spend around £1,165 per year on fuel but families with the lowest incomes are only spending £723, creating a 'fuel gap' which is detrimental to children's health and family well-being.

The report also highlights how low income families are forced to pay for their gas and electricity by means of pre-payment meter, adding up to £80 onto the energy bill and are unable to benefit from any energy discounts as they do not have the option to pay by Direct Debit or access cheaper internet tariffs.

Anne Marie Carrie, Barnado's Chief Executive said "Effectively these families are being penalised by their payment method at a time when they need the most financial help."

She went on to say, "Families should never have to choose between whether to heat their homes or put food on the table for their children."

Barnado's has launched 'Child in Crisis' appeal which calls for support to help the most vulnerable children and their families who are in poverty.

Anne Marie Carrie added "we would urge the government to truly tackle the issue of fuel poverty by the root, by bringing forward the requirement on landlords to make their properties energy efficient for tenants"

View Barnado's report 'Priced Out' here.

According to new research from uSwitch, consumers who are living in non-energy efficient properties are missing out on individual annual savings of up to £530. That's over four in ten households.

Reasons behind this bold figure vary from the notion that upgrades are not the best value for money to the lack of awareness around the variety of upgrades available.

When home energy efficiency upgrades are considered usually the first improvement to spring to mind is loft and cavity wall insulation. Although this is proven to show instant results and is considered to be an excellent investment, it can cost around £150 which for some consumers is not an option. There are however alternative steps that can be taken that will still have a positive effect without costing too much money.

Priced at around £30, Energy monitors enable the consumer to keep a track of their energy usage and see in real time how much money they are spending. This small investment could offer savings of up to £52 per year. Another savvy device is the Radiator booster. Available for around £25, it sits on top of the existing radiator and circulates the hot air around the room by means of a small fan resulting in savings of up to £140 per year.

The price of energy is continuously fluctuating and although the energy companies have recently reduced costs by an average £34 per household, uSwitch report that customers are still £190 worse off due to the average increase of £224 per household in 2010-2011.

It is worth noting that there are government grants available to everyone for home energy efficiency upgrades. Don't miss out on any savings; check that your home is running as efficiently as possible today.

French owned energy giant EDF have reported an 8.5% rise in profits much to the disgust of the consumer.

They are the first of the 'big six' to announce their profits which have hit £1.6 billion despite the milder winter and a fall in consumption.

During a time where fuel poverty is a very real and worrying matter, where families are struggling to pay energy bills and are having to choose between 'heating or eating', the announcement has hit a nerve and consumers are demanding affordable energy.

Questions are being raised as to why consumers are being 'ripped off' with extortionate pricing and whether energy companies could and should cut the price of gas and electricity further. The figures from EDF, which has around 5.5 million customers, indicates that although there is an 8% drop in fuel usage their profits have soared.

Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, Ann Robinson, says "On the back of the profits announced today, we would urge EDF Energy to relieve the pressure on its UK household customers by passing on the benefits of lower wholesale prices. It previously cut its gas prices by 5% on the 7th of February and now is the time to go even further."

Consumers await the profit announcements from the remaining energy companies.