British Gas

Gog · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:10

Should never have privatised them in the first place.

I get my gas from British Gas and my electricity from EDF so feel particularly shafted at the moment. Makes it worse when British Gas announce a £166m half-year profit the same day :mad:

Posty · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:15

Gog said:
Should never have privatised them in the first place.

I get my gas from British Gas and my electricity from EDF so feel particularly shafted at the moment. Makes it worse when British Gas announce a £166m half-year profit the same day

How would nationalising them help?

Werewolf · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:42

Gog said:
Makes it worse when British Gas announce a £166m half-year profit the same day

So what's that per customer, about a pound a week? (assuming ten million customers), not exactly a huge amount...

cheets64 · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:48

Wear a jumper, eat cold food, watch less tv.

We have become Dependant on luxuries, either you moan and pay the price or change your lifestyle habits.

God knows how this is going effect old people in the winter.

Energize · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:50

Werewolf said:
So what's that per customer, about a pound a week? (assuming ten million customers), not exactly a huge amount...

Remember that this is after the people at the top get their 7 figure salaries...

Ben M · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:50

cheets64 said:
God knows how this is going effect old people in the winter.

I can imagine that fuel allowance will increase to help them out.

dowie · 30 Jul 2008 at 21:53

I get my gas from British Gas and my electricity from EDF so feel particularly shafted at the moment. Makes it worse when British Gas announce a £166m half-year profit the same day

erm thats a very small profit thus the need for price rises....... :rolleyes:

[DOD]Asprilla · 30 Jul 2008 at 22:06

Energize said:
Remember that this is after the people at the top get their 7 figure salaries...

I want all the thing that capitalism birings, but none of it's drawbacks please.

Let's face it, they get employed to bring in the highest profits and this is what drives your investments and pension.

Gog · 30 Jul 2008 at 22:08

Posty said:
How would nationalising them help?

It wouldn't. I do believe however that the essential utilities, gas, electricity, water, should have remained under government control and not made available for people to profit from. Too late to do anything about it now though.

Werewolf said:
So what's that per customer, about a pound a week? (assuming ten million customers), not exactly a huge amount...

No its not, but this is just the latest price rise. Again, my dismay stems from the fact that I don't believe a profit should be made from essentials.

Posty · 30 Jul 2008 at 22:20

Gog said:
It wouldn't. I do believe however that the essential utilities, gas, electricity, water, should have remained under government control and not made available for people to profit from. Too late to do anything about it now though.

No its not, but this is just the latest price rise. Again, my dismay stems from the fact that I don't believe a profit should be made from essentials.

Even if it means a poorer service (shortages) and higher prices? personally i would prefer what we have now than what they have in continental Europe

[DOD]Asprilla · 30 Jul 2008 at 22:22

Gog said:
No its not, but this is just the latest price rise. Again, my dismay stems from the fact that I don't believe a profit should be made from essentials.

Defining essentials is a whole new thread and you'd be amazed how many worms you can fit in it.

Biohazard · 30 Jul 2008 at 23:23

Werewolf said:
So what's that per customer, about a pound a week? (assuming ten million customers), not exactly a huge amount...

[DOD]Asprilla;12189153 said:
I want all the thing that capitalism birings, but none of it's drawbacks please.

Let's face it, they get employed to bring in the highest profits and this is what drives your investments and pension.

[DOD]Asprilla;12189267 said:
Defining essentials is a whole new thread and you'd be amazed how many worms you can fit in it.

What they both said.

Locky · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:03

they just increased gas price by 35% yet made 1billion in half year profits :mad:

http://money.uk.msn.com/mortgages/billsandenergy/article.aspx?cp-documentid=9077533

Mad old tory · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:15

Gog said:
It wouldn't. I do believe however that the essential utilities, gas, electricity, water, should have remained under government control and not made available for people to profit from. Too late to do anything about it now though.

No its not, but this is just the latest price rise. Again, my dismay stems from the fact that I don't believe a profit should be made from essentials.

I would wager that even with the profits made it is probably still cheaper as a whole than if it were nationalized. When i say as a whole, I mean including the higher taxes that would have been needed for a so-called cheaper, subsidized gas price.

Morba · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:17

Werewolf said:
So what's that per customer, about a pound a week? (assuming ten million customers), not exactly a huge amount...

16 million customers, thats just residential i think. there is also the business supply side to the company as well.

pastymuncher · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:32

The £166m profit is wrong. It is almost a billion pounds according to the news just now.

The government could help everyone out on this by getting rid of the vat on gas and electricity. It's only 5% but at least they would be seen to be doing something. Of course they won't, because they have borrowed so much money they have'nt got any means of doing it.

dannyjo22 · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:39

Swordfish said:
Lets all give up everything and go and live in the woods !!!!

Some people will end up doing that through repo's the way the cost of living is going up

£90 a quarter I paid for gas and electricity combined in 97.

Despite living in what is now a pressure tested, hugely insulated, max efficiency boiler, low energy light fittings house I now pay almost that a month.

The same is true for all our utility out goings in the last 10 years.

badbob · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:42

Total joke, and I would start demanding salary increase. I wonder why people on NMW rather not get a job, I wonder just how much living on there own, on NMW have at the end of the month? :-/

melbourne720 · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:49

Eon are still doing capped gas/electricity tariffs, swap and get one of them.

Morba · 31 Jul 2008 at 13:49

pastymuncher said:
The £166m profit is wrong. It is almost a billion pounds according to the news just now.

The government could help everyone out on this by getting rid of the vat on gas and electricity. It's only 5% but at least they would be seen to be doing something. Of course they won't, because they have borrowed so much money they have'nt got any means of doing it.

166 for british gas, the other figure is for centrica, which owns british gas.