I've heard the EON service is as you'd expect - data drop outs, dodgy billing etc. Octopus even if it is fractionally more expensive is probably far more reliable.
Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)
- Thread starter DXP55
- Start date
Man of Honour
Gas on the tracker is 5.51p per kWh today, ouch. It's cold here so the heating will be on again later and we have been in single digit temps for five days now so the heating has been on quite a bit. It was high this time last year and didn't really start dropping until the very end of the month before reaching a low in mid December onwards.
Soldato
Worth a watch for 1.5 mins on why regionalised elec prices would be cheaper.
Do you mean outside? Maintaining around 16-17 around the house at the moment with no heating. Still in shorts
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Soldato
Probably won't be implemented as the highest demand area (SE) won't like it.... Don't get me wrong, the people in these regions are a'ok with them having the cheapest SC with the highest demand and have no care for the other regions paying more than they do for the same level of service even though its the highest paying regions who are typically generating the most electricity but, asking them to agree to a situation that will mean they may end up paying more per unit? Yeah, not happening
To the people in the South/SE of England - what say you. @200sols ? (I ask you due to the previous postings we have had, along with @Mercenary Keyboard Warrior )
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Soldato
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- 23 May 2006
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i am in the SE of England and benefit from really cheap Standing Charges......... and i think it is outrageous that areas which have embraced renewables and have generation on their doorstep are saddled with far higher prices than me.
discounts for localised generation makes perfect sense, however areas unable (rather than NIMBYism unwilling) to have renewable generation on their doorstep should get some subsidy from other areas as well.
so a halfway house rather than going all in on local generation.
but the biggest thing is we need to be better connnected to get all that renewable excess from Wales, Scotland and the North down to areas with a high demand. turning off generation in Scotland whilst using Gas or imported generation in London is boneheaded.
discounts for localised generation makes perfect sense, however areas unable (rather than NIMBYism unwilling) to have renewable generation on their doorstep should get some subsidy from other areas as well.
so a halfway house rather than going all in on local generation.
but the biggest thing is we need to be better connnected to get all that renewable excess from Wales, Scotland and the North down to areas with a high demand. turning off generation in Scotland whilst using Gas or imported generation in London is boneheaded.
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Why not? There is no reason under such a scheme that the SE sees prices rise.
Well i'm in the south region, not the cheap SE region. My SC is 62p a day. But I say regional unit pricing is fine but you cant then expect them to ditch regional standing charges. I guess the SE will also stop subsidising northern Scottish standing charges as well so they would have to shoulder the extra costs 'in house'.
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Associate
It's 5.92p here today for me.
Octopus fixed is 6.04p/kWh
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Soldato
Oh, its not about them not liking it because their prices might increase. EVen if they didn't, they wouldn't like it if other places were considerably cheaper. I'm pretty sure there would be some campaign about how unfair it is that the Northern parts of the country which is anywhere north of the M25 to them) have cheaper unit prices whilst conveniently ignoring the SC factor.
Swings and roundabouts innit... But to take the same stance as yours above - I'm not in the North region so
BTW, my stance has always been that the whole UK should pay the same:
- Some regions have higher infrastructure costs but help provide higher elec generation whilst also having their countryside built on to provide it
- Some regions have higher demands who then rely on the above regions to provide their electricity whilst enjoying the lower "fixed" costs as well as not having their countryside built on (NIMBY-ism)
IMHO, the way to "level" this is for, either, the higher demand regions to start becoming more self sufficient regionally (building on their land) or equalising SC throughout the UK could be an alternative to this.
Soldato
If you went for regional pricing then you would expect that the investment decisions may change a little. Once we stop paying for generation we cannot use that is.
Now don't get me wrong I doubt it would stop investment in the north sea, but your more likely to get some onshore (yikes! think of the views!!!!111!) down south, probably some smaller offshore as well. Its not that its unsuitable for it, its just that north sea and Scottish coast etc are better from a simple generation point of view.
If the South east unit costs are higher then the investment decision of a high (it will generally be higher) initial outlay will mean it makes sense to invest there.
Regional pricing for units and regional pricing for SC seem fair to me. There are different costs in each area.
It would be interesting to see if they believe the backbone grid costs and requirements would lower as well. Lots of the significant grid work is to be able to get energy from the high generation areas to the low generation (with typically high demand) areas.
Need to consider also however the grid works better the larger it is. Its easier for them to load balance etc.
Now don't get me wrong I doubt it would stop investment in the north sea, but your more likely to get some onshore (yikes! think of the views!!!!111!) down south, probably some smaller offshore as well. Its not that its unsuitable for it, its just that north sea and Scottish coast etc are better from a simple generation point of view.
If the South east unit costs are higher then the investment decision of a high (it will generally be higher) initial outlay will mean it makes sense to invest there.
Regional pricing for units and regional pricing for SC seem fair to me. There are different costs in each area.
It would be interesting to see if they believe the backbone grid costs and requirements would lower as well. Lots of the significant grid work is to be able to get energy from the high generation areas to the low generation (with typically high demand) areas.
Need to consider also however the grid works better the larger it is. Its easier for them to load balance etc.
Soldato
Was coming in to post another BBC article about how technically there is a difference in smart meter operation between north and south. Had never heard of this before.
May explain why some seem to have so many issues and others very little.
Energy smart meter issues creating north-south divide
Technology differences mean meters in northern England and Scotland may not work properly, energy firm body admits.
www.bbc.co.uk
May explain why some seem to have so many issues and others very little.
Soldato
Was coming in to post another BBC article about how technically there is a difference in smart meter operation between north and south. Had never heard of this before.
Energy smart meter issues creating north-south divide
Technology differences mean meters in northern England and Scotland may not work properly, energy firm body admits.www.bbc.co.uk
May explain why some seem to have so many issues and others very little.
THing is, I could understand the need to have radio transmission when Smart Meters first rolled out but there is 3G/4G coverage in huge swathes of the UK that are being forced to use the old radio style meters. Surely the GOvernment need to abolish this rule that they have, in place of allowing an installer to do a coverage check during install to determine the best meter to fit?
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South east is mostly flat land and land prices are high. Still plenty of room off the coasts in the south. Get the old rejected wind projects back. People need to get over seeing some turbines out at sea. e.g https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navitus_Bay_wind_farm
Soldato
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that is insane!. i get having the option of both and let the installer do tests to work out which is better for a given property, but mandating one over the other when its totally property dependent which would be best is the sort of moronic nonsense which seems typical of large projects in this country.
obviously the ideal would be having both on each meter with a fallback option if one fails, but i have no idea what kind of premium that would add on the install..... however it may be that the increased premium (only needed for 4/5G problematic areas anyway) to do it routinely would be covered by reducing the number of multiple call outs by people with non working systems.
obviously the ideal would be having both on each meter with a fallback option if one fails, but i have no idea what kind of premium that would add on the install..... however it may be that the increased premium (only needed for 4/5G problematic areas anyway) to do it routinely would be covered by reducing the number of multiple call outs by people with non working systems.
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Soldato
I'm sure this will be a good excuse in 100 years or so when global warming and potential sea level rises eradicate said Jurassic Coast and turn the tourist area into Atlantis
.... But hey, NIMBYs don't generally ever care about what happens once they are dead.
Soldato
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wind turbines out at sea arnt even ugly anyway FGS. (Hell i would not object to a land turbine local to me let alone one out at sea (if i were fortunate enough to live in a coastal town)
Man of Honour
This house is from the 70's built down to a budget and still has the awful original double glazing so it regularly drops to 14 degrees indoors. The housing association gave us all fancy new kitchens that were fitted by a bunch of useless cowboys even though the kitchens were in good condition already. What they should have done was gave us something that would really make a difference such as replacing the inefficient double glazing which is the first thing that everyone who bought there house had changed. Within 45-60 minutes of the heating going off the temperature starts to quickly drop. We are supposed to be getting solar panels sometime in the next five years but they really should replace the windows and doors first. Additionally for some reason I have reeally been feeling the cold since August this year and that's not like me. Usually it's the wife that moans about the cold while I am normally quite comfortable but it's the other way around now for some reason.Do you mean outside? Maintaining around 16-17 around the house at the moment with no heating. Still in shorts
Up to 5.67p here now.
Octopus still refuse to give me a refund and keep fobbing me off. It all stems around the problem that the meter reads higher than what the smart data is telling them. It was over 200 units higher on the meter but has now increased to almost 400 units, so much for bloody "smart" meters!! I have done everything they have asked me to do including photo's of the meter readings yet yesterday they said to ignore the meter and they will just keep on with the smart data. Of course I am not happy with this as it opens me up to a massive bill at some point which they cannot seem to understand. It's as if they are unable or unwilling to update my account to the correct reading. I have suggested that they change the meter, that way the installer gives them the correct reading and we start from scratch on the new one but they seem unwilling to do this either. I am very close to forcing the issue with a switch to a new supplier, at least the reading will be corrected on leaving and I will get my grand back. Awful customer service from Octopus.
Dont understand the popularity on here for regional pricing, is the opposite of sharing a burden equally socially, and the midlands with no coast and the least wind would be paying loads for energy. Greater differential on regional pricing would be a regression socially. Luckily politics will probably stop the idea, a government wouldnt survive having one area avg 10p kWh, whilst another is paying 80p kWh.
Those in nice rural areas e.g. get subsidised on broadband true cost to them would probably be at least double monthly subs. But we all accept the equalisation.
Those in nice rural areas e.g. get subsidised on broadband true cost to them would probably be at least double monthly subs. But we all accept the equalisation.
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Soldato
I live in the Cambridgeshire fens, I can see, hmmmm, probably bout 30, at least, basically from my house (the view is partially obtructed in some directions but you get what I mean) - and they dont bother me in teh slighest.
The farm of the 14 closest ones are actually reasonable close, I would say within half a mile.
You gotta generate it somehow.